What If?
by Sakurelle
Summary: What if Kaiba lost to Yugi on top of Pegasus's castle? What if Mokuba was trapped in the Shadow Realm forever? What if the girl who could help had something to hide? KaibaOC
1. Once Upon A Time

Disclaimer: This applies to the entire story. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own my original character. 

Chapter 1- Once Upon A Time

Dark clouds loomed overhead. Thunder roared and lightning flashed. The people of ancient Egypt knew it almost never rained in their part. They raced out of the streets and into their homes. Overlooking the village was the palace of the Pharaoh. Its usually quiet manner was disrupted by a clash of breaking pottery and a woman's wails.

"Please, I beg of you, Atem. Forgive me! I did not mean to!" the woman sobbed, kneeling on the floor. She wore a long white dress, with bands of green and blue around the shoulders and sleeves. She was very pretty, with sparkling purple eyes and ebony black hair. Towering over her was the Pharaoh, whose handsome face wore rage like none could experience.

"DID NOT MEAN TO?" The Pharaoh Atem roared, throwing another vase across the room. It hit the stone wall and broke into pieces. "You fraternize with the enemy against my knowledge and now come to tell me you are pregnant with his child?"

"It...was an...accident!" the woman cried. "Please, brother, you must forgive me!"

"Never!" Atem replied, his voice booming. "Bianca, as my sister, you carry the honor of being Egypt's princess. Knowing that, you go and associate yourself with the most powerful enemy we face, Seth? I would have never let you near that over confident bastard if I knew of this."

"Don't say that! I love Seth-,"

"SILENCE!" Atem threw the next vase directly as Bianca, who managed to bend out of the way. She quickly got to her feet and backed away. "It is one thing to love him, but to carry his child? Do you know what you have gotten our family into?" Bianca sniffed and wiped away her tears, but more poured out.

"Please," she begged meekly. "Please..."

"For this, you cannot live!" Bianca looked up, horrified.

"You...won't...you won't kill me!"

"It is against tradition to carry one's child without marriage. Either you must marry him, which I will never allow, or be put to death!"

"No! Please, I beg of you! I will do whatever you say! No one will ever have to know! Just don't kill me!"

"I have no choice, Bianca, it is our law."

"What kind of Pharaoh are you? Will you send you own sister to her death for some lousy tradition?" The pharaoh raised his arm and struck her across the cheek. She screamed and fell to the floor.

"Never question me! I will do what I need to! Now, go out of my sight before I send you to someplace worse!" Someplace worse. Bianca knew that meant the Shadow Realm. She had heard of that place many times. When one entered, they never would return. It was a place where one's worst nightmares could come true, a place where one lived in agony every day. Those banished there were sent only because of punishment. To live there was worse than death.

"Go! I said go!" Bianca screamed again as a plate almost hit her. She ran from the room and into the hallway. Her worst nightmare was already lived out in this place. Why would the Shadow Realm be any worse? Bianca had always been obedient to her older brother. He told her every secret, and she told hers to him. He had been the first to know of her infatuation with Seth. He told her that was a dangerous path. Bianca promised she would have nothing more to do with Seth. That promise was easily broken.

She spent more and more time with Seth every day, lying about it to her brother. She hated to betray him, but hated to give up Seth all the same. She falsely hoped that everything would work out somehow in the future. She never realized the trouble she was going to get into.

Wiping away another tear, Bianca aimlessly walked down the hall. She loved Seth dearly, and she loved her brother as well. The only thing was, they had never ever gotten along. Seth had hated Atem ever since they were old enough to know the meaning of the word. Their hate only grew as the years past. Now, Bianca was caught in the middle.

Bianca sniffed as she headed down the hallway. She heard footsteps approaching her. Wiping her few remaining tears hastily, she straightened her skirts. She gasped when she saw Seth approaching. Something bad must have happened for him to be in the palace's corridors. Except for Bianca, he had denounced everything related to Atem or the royal family line.

"Seth?" she whispered. He narrowed his eyes on her.

"What do you want?" His tone was sharp, as if she was nothing more than a slave.

"Seth? It's me! You know me!"

"Yes, I know you. I also know that you are putting my reputation as stake! You carry something that should not be!" Bianca involuntarily put a hand on her stomach. "The only way both myself and the Pharaoh can make sure we are not seen going against our laws and traditions is if you are away from our lives!"

"Seth! After all that we have been through, you now act like I am destroying your life?"

"You are, Bianca. Destroying Egypt's standards! Unless you die, or run away, our honor is in jeopardy!"

"Do you not care the pain I go through?"

"You are out of my life, Bianca. I cannot let my honor be ruined. You carry my child without marriage. This is a shame unto you and unto me. No one can know about this. You must leave this place or face death!" Without another word, Seth vanished into the hallway. Bianca buried her face in her hands.

"Atem doesn't care, Seth doesn't care! They love me until it hurts their honor, and then they abandon me as if I cease to exist. No one knows the pain I go through more than I!" Bianca fell to the floor and sobbed. "I must go away!"

Few minutes later, she had made it to her room. Throwing stuff randomly in a brown carrying bag, and taking enough water for a three-day journey, she left. She fought the urge to say goodbye as she ran out of the castle. Just an hour ago, she had been a nervous wreck, pondering whether or not to tell Atem about her problem. Now, in a few mere moments, she had left her home behind her. The rain pelted her dress and hair, and making everything heavier from carrying rainwater. The wind lightly blew her hair to the side, and lightning flashed if Bianca dared to look up from the ground. Hugging the bag to her chest, she walked as fast as she could.

Bianca had no idea where she was going. She knew she could not stay anywhere near her home. If Atem and Seth wished her to be gone, she would be gone. It just troubled her to know that she was going to turn her world upside down. And to betray her brother while she was at it. It was all too much for Bianca.

Bianca's steps took her through the desert, across villages she never knew. It was almost evening and she had gotten quite far. The rain was long behind her and it was starting to get cold. Bianca had forgotten to bring a shawl. It would be a long night. Bianca couldn't walk any longer. She noticed a small growth of trees and walked toward it. Almost falling, she sat near one and almost immediately fell asleep.

* * *

It was morning so soon. The rays of the brilliant sun poured onto Bianca's face. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. A calm chuckle of water echoed behind her. She moaned and stretched. A look to the side showed that it was the Nile River. She had been too tired in the night to realize it. For a second, her mind was confused about why she was out in the middle of the desert instead of her soft bed. It suddenly hit her. Pulling her legs in, Bianca wrapped her arms around her knees. Suddenly, she felt so alone and helpless. She just wanted to curl up and die. She glanced at the river. It seemed as if it was laughing as its current swept across rocks and bent around the land. Other trees grew in clumps around the river. However serene the area was, all Bianca could think about was betraying her brother and Seth. She got up and walked over to water.

"Should I?" she said aloud. Her face reflected in the water. A beautiful face, but a face now neglected by the ones she loved most. She thought about what her brother had said. _For this, you cannot live_. Seth's words also echoed in her mind. _Unless you die, or run away, our honor is in jeopardy._ Bianca made her decision.

"If it is," she said, "that I dishonor my family and my loved ones, and their reputations are at stake, then I don't deserve to live!" She closed her eyes. She was afraid that if she opened them, she might resist what she was about to do. In front of her, the deep waters of the Nile bubbled its way across. Opening one eye, she cringed at the thought. She did not know how to swim. It would be over soon. Shutting her eye again, she jumped into the water.

Cold water surrounded her body in an instant. The dark blue hue seemed to swallow her whole. Her arms frantically searched for something to grab. She was afraid, and she knew it. Her body surfaced for a second. She tried to breathe as deeply as she could. Water forced itself into her mouth and her lungs. Her mind screamed for air and her thoughts seemed to waver. She felt herself sinking, and she could do nothing about it. She closed her eyes and let herself die.

* * *

Atem knocked fiercely at Bianca's door. "Open this door! I must speak with you!" He had left his sister alone a whole day. Now it was morning and he decided to speak with her. The door was closed, and however much he knocked she wouldn't open.

"She's not in there," a voice rasped. Atem whipped around. Seth stood there.

"What do you mean?" Atem asked. "You...didn't do anything else, did you?"

"And upset my honor again? Why, Pharaoh, I would not be that stupid. I have no more connection with that sister of yours!"

"Being the father of her unborn child, I would have thought you'd show more compassion!"

"As if," Seth remarked. He smirked. "I won't do anything that dishonors me."

"You...how dare you do this to my sister and make nothing of it! I swear by Ra, you will pay!"

"Relax, she's out of our lives now. I told her to be gone, and she has. Now leave that behind us and concentrate on our battle."

"Where did she go?"

"I do not know. Probably out of our lands." Atem's eyes widened.

"You bastard, you'll regret it if anything happens to her!" Atem pushed Seto to the side as he sprinted down the hallway. He was almost to the stairway door when it opened.

"Pharaoh, sir!" the servant who opened the door cried. "Princess Bianca's belongings and sandals have been found along the banks of the Nile River!"

"What! Where is she?"

"We do not know sir! Everything was either at the grove of the trees or at the side of the river. I think she drowned!" Atem sunk to his knees.

"It's my fault. I told her to go away and now she has. Bianca, how could you!" Tears flowed down his cheeks. In a sudden rage, he turned around. "Seth, this is your fault. If you hadn't done that to her, she would be alive!"

"Nonsense! You told her to go away!"

"I vow on the Egyptian throne! You will pay for what you have done!"

* * *

Crimson sat straight up in bed. Every time, her dream ended like that. First an argument, then running away, suicide, and then Atem vowing he would avenge his sister. Six months of this dream over and over. Crimson knew she could probably recite every detail of it clearly if asked. It made no sense to her why she was dreaming this.

"I must be going mad," she thought. She slipped out of her bed and onto the cold floor in her room. It was seven in the morning and the sun was just starting to filter its way into the room. It was another day at last.

Yasmine Motou, known as Crimson Streaks, was an ordinary sixteen-year old with too many secrets for comfort. Not only was she related to Yugi Motou, though no one knew it, she had a Millennium Item and a secret past. Her Millennium Anklet was probably one of the reasons why she had all those dreams. She could not interpret the dreams, but she definitely knew they had something to do with Yugi. She had been tracking him ever since she first realized their relation. Now, it was also to figure out the dream. Crimson was interested ancient Egypt and believed in destiny and fate. That was part of the reason she ended up with her Item half a year ago. Ever since, she had been having the same dream.

"I have to stop thinking about that. It's just some lousy dream," she muttered. To distract herself, she turned on the TV in her room. Unfortunately, it did exactly the opposite.

"Good morning, everybody. This is Channel 33 News with a special report from Duelist Kingdom!" the news reporter announced. Crimson, intrigued, moved closer to the TV. She had always wanted to learn and play Duel Monsters, but she never had the time. She only had one card, an Enchanted Javelin, which she kept for good luck.

"The Tournament, kicked off two days ago by Maximillion Pegasus, CEO of Industrial Illusions and creator of Duel Monsters, has already taken its toll. Half the participants have been removed from the island and the finals are drawing nearer. Who will win the title King of Games? Let's see on one of our air cameras." The TV zoomed in to a bird's eye view of the island. It flashed from a picture of one Duelist to another. Crimson shrugged and was about to turn off the television when a certain somebody caught her eye. A certain spiky haired kid traveling with his friends.

"Yugi!" Crimson ran to the screen and gripped it with both hands. Just then, the scene changed to another area. In frustration, Crimson shook the TV. "No!" As if the TV had heard her, the scene switched back to Yugi. This time, one of the crew, a blonde fellow with a green jacket, had disappeared. Crimson narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, the dream and everything made sense. As if a light had turned on in her brain, she figured out the connection.

"NO WONDER! That's why Yugi looks so familiar. He's like Atem in my dream. Why that must mean...that's no ordinary girl. I am Bianca! Seth must be someone I like...I don't like any brown haired guys. Well, anyway, I must go and figure out what this all means. I must go to Duelist Kingdom!"


	2. To Duelist Kingdom I Go

Chapter 2 – To Duelist Kingdom I Go

"Please, please, please! I promise! I promise! Promise!" Crimson begged. Her foster parents looked at each other and shrugged. Crimson had lived with them ever since she was separated from her parents in a flood. She had washed up in a whole different city, which was definitely strange. If it hadn't been for her locket, which she always wore around her neck, she wouldn't have known who she was. Unfortunately, they didn't really find out who her real family was.

"I seriously don't know why you want to go to this camp," her mother said. "You'll be away from us for two weeks!"

"I'm old enough to be on my own! Heck, if that guy, what's-his-name, is pretty much my age and can run a company, I can go to a camp!"

"Seto Kaiba is an extremely smart kid with a thousand body guards. He'd be safe. You can barely drive safely. I really have to ask how you got your license."

"MOM! Please, I don't care about freakin' Kaiba! This is me! Me! Me! Me!" Both her foster parents looked at each other again.

"Well, if you can really be responsible," her father said. "And not get another ticket this whole week, we'll think about it!"

"Mom! Dad! It starts tomorrow!"

"The first one starts tomorrow, the second one starts the week after."

"MOM! Please. I'll be home sooner if you let me go!"

"Oh fine! And I'll expect you want to drive yourself there?"

"Oh please?"

"Oh, dear. If I hear, however, that you get into any trouble, I will bring you home in an instant and make sure you want to stay home forever more!"

"Agreed!" Crimson raced up to her room.

"I seriously don't know what gets in that kid." Crimson smiled. She didn't really want to go to the camp. It was a free camp for kids, and it was a come-if-you-want basis. No signing up or anything. There were two programs, each on one side of the campsite. Crimson had researched in case her parents asked questions. In reality, it was all an excuse so she wouldn't have to explain her disappearance when she went to Duelist Kingdom.

If the dream was to be believed, then there was some connection to her, Yugi, a certain brown-haired fellow, and Egypt. And if Yugi was connected, then so was Duelist Kingdom. If Duelist Kingdom was connected, Crimson would have to go there. And to go there, Crimson had to have an excuse. And a method of transportation. Cars couldn't cross oceans, she got airsick on airplanes, and magic would be risky. That left...a boat.

"Hmmm...I'll have to get a boat somewhere." She went to pack her stuff.

After ten minutes, she had packed all the stuff she would need on her "imaginary" camping trip. Aside from that, she packed a smaller knapsack. It held many edibles and a map of Duelist Kingdom.

"Now," she said to herself. "I just need to find that boat. Maybe I can go down to the docks and figure out for myself." Crimson clicked her tongue.

"Not enough time. Perhaps if I turn on the television, something might come up." So she did. The screen was displaying a current Duel. Two boys were standing, and apparently they had the same monsters on the field. One, however, was wearing some extra armor. Crimson turned off the TV to avoid getting involved. Nothing was going on at the moment. She needed to find the boat another way.

"There must be a ferry to that island," Crimson moaned. "There has to be!"

"Crimson! Dinner!" Crimson sighed. She would have to wait until after eating to come up with a plan.

* * *

Crimson crossed her arms. She had just filled her stomach with turnips and mashed potatoes. Her worst favorite foods. Now her brain was sloshing around. She would never get a plan. Crimson lay back on the couch and let her eyes close...

* * *

"Bianca!" The raven-haired girl turned around. "Bianca!" She wondered who was calling her. Outside, near the garden, she saw Seth walking toward her.

"Seth!" Bianca ran over as fast as she could and threw her arms around him. "How are you?" She kissed his lips passionately, but he pulled away.

"Bianca. Please, we are still inside the palace walls. Let us not forget that Atem and I are still enemies."

"Oh, nonsense, Seth!" Bianca moved her arms so they were around his neck. "You love me and I love you. Let's forget about our families." For once, Seth wanted to agree. He couldn't.

"Bianca..." Bianca wouldn't let him continue. She pulled him closer and embraced him in a kiss. He returned it, running a hand through her black hair. His tongue pushed at her lips and she submitted. All of a sudden, she pulled away.

"Oh no!" Seth turned around. He saw the Pharaoh leave from the window. "He saw!"

"Go!" Seth pushed Bianca away and she ran toward the palace gates. She got inside and turned into an empty hallway. She ran toward her room. As long as she didn't meet Atem in the middle, everything would be fine. Hopefully. Unfortunately it wasn't so. A heavy hand made contact with her chest and trusted her back against the wall. She looked into the eyes of one of the Pharaoh's servants. She was in so much trouble!

* * *

Crimson's eyes shot open. She rubbed her eyes. Never had she had that dream before. Her dreams had always been about that fight. As if she only knew the ending of the story. Now, she knew a little in between. Maybe, somehow, the dream was telling the story of her ancient past. If it truly was _her_ ancient past. But it _had_ to be, since Yugi looked like the pharaoh and she looked like Bianca. But she couldn't figure out who the brown-haired guy was. She also didn't know why this dream was different from the others. Perhaps it was because Crimson had learned something new from the last time. Yes, she had figured out some of the things in the dream. Perhaps if she interpreted more, she could be allowed more visions.

"That's it, I'm going crazy. Now I'm hoping for dreams to solve my problems." Crimson sat up. "But...it couldn't be that crazy." Crimson turned on the TV. It was like Déjà vu. After a while, she turned it off again and sat back down. Holidays were so boring. Crimson switched the channels back and forth and all around. Skiers in Alaska, a cheesy soap opera, a Spanish newscast, people leaving from a ferry in Duelist Kingdom, and a cartoon kids show. Crimson switched off the TV and leaned back. Almost immediately she jumped back.

"THE FERRY!" She eagerly switched back to channel 33. The Duelists were being loaded into a small ferry.

"The day's defeated Duelists depart on the daily depressing ferry ride, demurring of their departure. Now try saying that ten times!" Crimson ignored the news reporter. She tried to memorize the place where the ferry would be. Tomorrow at this time, she would be on it.

* * *

Seto Kaiba looked determined as he made his way to Pegasus's castle. It was almost nightfall, and his eyes were getting a little droopy. No, he couldn't sleep. Not while a maniac in a red suit held his brother captive. No, not until Mokuba was free. He wouldn't rest until he rescued his kid brother. Unfortunately, his body had other plans. His eyes were getting immensely heavy. It was too late at night. Maybe a little nap would do. He slowly leaned up against a tree and relaxed, unaware that sleep had already claimed him.

* * *

"Seth! Help me!" Seth turned around. Everywhere he turned in the stone chamber, Bianca's voice echoed back. Yet, the chamber was empty, with no hidden areas at all.

"Bianca!" Seth spun around in frustration. The girl was nowhere in sight. "Bianca, where are you?"

"Help, Seth, I'm drowning!" Seth gritted his teeth. He had to help her, he just had to. But he was trapped in the chamber. He went over to the wall. It looked very solid. Seth gave it a powerful punch. Unlike an ordinary wall, it disappeared into dust. Seth stood there, blinking at it. Then he gasped. Instead of a hallway, the chamber opened directly into the desert. There was a large river. Unlike the Nile River, which it resembled, there were no plants or any sign that what was there was really water. Sand just melted into a chuckling river. Even worse, Bianca was trapped in the middle.

"Bianca!" Seth ran forward, but the closer he got, the farther away from the bank she seemed.

"Seth!" Bianca flailed her arms. Seth had gotten to the water's edge, and he was trying to find someway to rescue Bianca. Suddenly, to his horror, dark vines shot up from the river, coiling around Bianca's hands and pulling her down.

"NO!" Seth dived into the water, but the same vines tossed him out. At the same time, they coiled around every limb in Bianca's body.

"Se..." A wave of water crashed over her. When the waters settled, she was nowhere to be seen.

"BIANCA!"

* * *

Seto bolted up. He was still in Duelist Kingdom, in the middle of the island. The moon shone through the cloudy sky. Seto gripped his head.

"I've been having that dream for six months now," he said. "Six months! I've always ignored it, but today it was something different. Today, I actually felt every vine coiling around that guy's body. Every feeling of dread about not being able to rescue that girl. The girl...who is she? She seems so familiar. I think I've seen her somewhere. No, that's impossible. By the look of it, she lived in ancient times. How could I have known her?" Seto got up. The nap had done him little good, besides bringing up that dream.

"I've still got to save my brother!" Seto headed off. He decided to pause his thoughts about the dream and the girl with lightning-bolt bangs.

* * *

The next day, Crimson got together her bags and set them near the door. It was time for the big departure. Her mother and father were busy organizing some last minute things. While they did their stuff, Crimson over looked her apparel. She was wearing a thigh-long full-sleeve shirt that read, "Lost and Not Yet Found!" in black. It was yellow and made of denim. Underneath, she wore a pair of black sparkle jeans that flared out over her pink sandals. Her long, black hair was tied back with a yellow silk ribbon. If her bangs didn't get in the way, she'd be okay. Her bangs were one of the reasons she knew she was related to Yugi. They were shaped like lightning bolts, a very striking form.

"Are you ready to go, dear?" Crimson's mother asked. She came over and put her arms around Crimson. "I'm going to miss you!"

"I know..." Crimson managed to choke out. Her father stood to the side.

"If you need anything, just call. I'm sure the camp has a phone!" He also hugged Crimson. In the middle, she was squished.

"Okay, mom? Dad? I have...to...go...now!"

"Of course dear!" They pulled away, and Crimson straightened her shirt. She picked up her bags.

"Okay mom, I guess I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

"Right dear." Crimson skipped down the path to her car. She loaded her bags into the trunk and got in.

"BYE!!" her parents waved to her very energetically. She grinned back and sped off. All the while, she though about the great adventures she would be having in Duelist's Kingdom.

An hour later, she arrived at the docks. After parking her car in the least noticeable area and cloaking it with her Millennium Item's Invisibility, she took the knapsack and headed to the docks.

Her timing had been just perfect. The boat just arrived and "the day's defeated Duelists departing on the daily depressing ferry ride, demurring of their departure" got off. After they all went their ways, Crimson swiftly approached the captain, her Millennium Item swinging in her hand.

"Does this ferry, perhaps, carry people back to Duelist Kingdom?" she asked.

"Sorry, Miss. I have orders that this is an exit ferry only. The competition started a while back. You can't enter in the middle." Crimson's Item glowed.

"That's what you think." The man staggered back. In a second, he froze rigid before toppling onto his back. "You won't be waking for a couple of hours, and by that time, I'll be long gone!" Crimson stepped onto the boat and used her Item to levitate it a foot above the water. After tying her Item back onto her ankle, she moved the ferry forward.

"Watch out!" she proclaimed, her hair blowing out in the wind. "To Duelist Kingdom I go!"


	3. Getting Acquainted

Chapter 3 - Getting Acquainted

In a few hours, the ferry reached the docks. Crimson stepped off and with a swipe of her hand, sent the boat skimming right back to the dock. Then, she fell to her knees.

"I'm here!" she cried. "But I feel so drained! I know I shouldn't have used that magic, but to keep from destroying everything, it takes all my strength. And eventually, I have to let some of it go." She squeezed her eyes shut. _Okay, I promise I won't use magic for a whole day! I promise!_ As if the promise itself had healed her pain, Crimson got to her feet. Her head still throbbed, but she could still walk. It would take an hour or two to get fully reenergized.

Crimson took in her surroundings for the first time. The forest stretched for miles before faintly fading into a meadow. The trees were alive with the sound of birds and other small animals. Crimson almost felt...happy? Was that it? A feeling of longing. It was one of those weird feelings that she got, a feeling that the world would always cycle every day, then week, then month, and she'd be old before she knew it. It was a very weird feeling. It was like she had no reason to live but to repeat the cycle over and over and over and over again.

Crimson shivered. It wasn't cold; it was the time when the sun was in the middle of the sky. Now, the temperatures would be warm for a while. Crimson had a mission, and she wasn't going to have some "longing" stop her. Yugi was on this island, and apparently their relation had its roots so far deep Crimson had no idea. Then, there was this brown-haired guy who had been involved with her past self. Involved. Crimson hoped the same things wouldn't happen again. If it did, she would have more than just her brother to answer to.

It wasn't until the soft wind blew that Crimson realized she had been standing around pointlessly. Yugi and his friends could be anywhere, much less the brown haired dude. It was times like this that Crimson wished she had one of those tracking devices. Made by Kaiba Corp, they beamed to the satellite and back, showing one's location. And others' too, if they had the right equipment. Lucky Kaiba, gets all the gadgets. _Okay, I have to stop thinking of him now. If I do, I'll remind myself of how much mom likes to compare me with him..._ Another stray thought bumped its way into Crimson's head...

It wasn't often that Crimson thought of her real parents. She knew that she had been separated from them eight years ago in a flood. She had washed up in a whole different city. When she was found and taken to the nearest police office, the people were stumped at the sight of her. The only trace they had of her real identity was the little locket, complete with a picture of her family. It had taken three years for them to really investigate and find the family, for they were too busy with the flood repairs and other children who were orphaned. To them, Crimson was another orphan, and no more. To them, Crimson was Crimson Streaks, a name she had thought of herself because she thought the whole thing was a game. They didn't figure out until three years later that her real family existed, and that she was really Yasmine Motou. By then, Crimson had already settled with her new family. It was too late to go back.

Crimson looked around. Suddenly, she found herself standing in Duelist Kingdom. Crimson scolded herself for zoning out again. This time she had stalled quite a bit. There was still quite a bit of the day left; she was thankful of that. At least four hours until the sun would set. Hopefully enough time to find her brother and the mysterious brown haired guy. How many guys did she know that had brown hair? One? Two?

To avoid more thoughts, Crimson made herself move forward, wincing at every step. Ever since she had gotten the Millennium Item, her life had never been the same. It had started on that class trip to Egypt. There had been a contest, and Crimson's room had won. In the two-week trip to Cairo, Crimson had met a mysterious young man. He had dark skin and sported a turban. At first, Crimson had dismissed him as a native. But when he had followed her, she had become suspicious. When she had finally mustered the courage to ask him, he had told her stuff about Millennium Items, and how she had a "destiny" to follow. At first, Crimson had thought of it as a bunch of crap somehow used to play a trick on her. When the guy had handed her the Item, she had concluded it must be one of those candid camera shows. When she had looked up to reply, the guy had disappeared.

A few weeks later, the magic of the Item began to take effect. She kept having the same dream over and over, and some strange feeling filled up inside her. It was like pressure in a coke can. Once it got too full, she had to let it out. The first month it was catastrophic. She had set a whole street of houses on fire, killing thirty-one people. She had upturned cars and caused tremors along major highways. During the next few months, she learned how to control her blasts of energy, and she tried to use it for helpful things. She once used it to make waves in the swimming pool for her neighbor's enjoyment. She even used it to mow the lawn. Of course, accidents did happen, but she was careful. And all the while, she tried to interpret the dreams she kept having. But then, as she somehow got closer to uncovering the truth, another strange feeling inside her came about. Some dark, devilish feeling. It was like she wanted to show the world her power and make people obey what she had to say. Often, if she weren't careful, this feeling would overcome her. Her powers would overflow and she would do terrible things. The last time she had let this happen, she had evaporated a whole lake. The three children swimming in it vanished. Other times, she had taken people's souls by accident, sucking in more and more power. When she had tried to stop these dark takeovers, it became harder to do it the next time. Crimson would have sent the ferryman to the Shadow Realm if she hadn't stepped in and just knocked him out inside. It was all she could do...

A sudden rush of birds startled Crimson. She glanced to the right, seeing the castle for the first time. The sprawling five-story building had a hundred rooms and a large Dueling arena, set over an endless pit. It even had a dungeon to keep prisoners. _Funny, I hadn't noticed that before._ Crimson noticed something new. A few figures seemed to be faintly silhouetted on top of the castle. It looked like a floating cloud and a human of some sort. Crimson cursed when she remembered her promise. It looked like she'd be walking there today. In order to be there on time, Crimson started her long "journey".

* * *

Crimson jogged through the forest as quickly as possible. Trying to avoid all Duelists, she cut through the trees. Halfway through, she bumped into a certain red-haired guy.

"You wanna Duel?" he asked. "Three stars? How about it?" Crimson buried her mind for an excuse.

"Well...huh...I...I...you...I...see...how...oh...oh...well I was..." Her mouth formed words her voice couldn't speak.

"You scared?" the boy taunted. "No one can run away from a challenge by me, Royhaun Cjosen. You'll just have to Duel. Bust out your deck and let's get moving, Chicken!" Crimson felt something burning inside her. She knew she had to keep the feeling down. She was almost to the castle, almost to her brother. She couldn't let her Item take control.

"Mr. Cjosen, it doesn't benefit you to Duel me. You'll lose in an instant!" Crimson felt the feeling inside grow stronger. She could feel her eyes burning themselves out. _No! I promised no magic. I can solve this problem by myself! All, by myself_. The feeling grew stronger. Crimson burned off little twigs that were hard to notice. The feeling got stronger.

"You are a chicken! No one backs down from one of my challenges. I'll give you two choices. Duel, or surrender your stars!"

"NO!" Crimson fell to her knees, shaking. Her hands gripped the ground for someway to hold on. Her hair toppled over hiding her face. The power inside her flowed out in bursts. Trees took to flame in an instant. The red-haired freckled boy widened his blue eyes. They had terror written all over them.

"You're a monster!" he cried, turning around. Before he could take another step, the power inside Crimson overflowed. It seemed to split him in half and tear the soul away from his body. In a second, it was over. The boy lay in the grass; his eyes were glazed white with shock. The trees around him had been blackened. Next to him, Crimson stood huddled against the tree. Her face was buried in her hands and her hair fell over her face.

"I am a monster! What have I done!?" Crimson cleared the hair to either side, sniffing as she dried her tears. The power was gone. The rage had built it up, and subsided itself. Crimson looked at the boy. His expression clearly told the tale. He couldn't be more than two or three years older than her. Next to his head was a small, blue crystal, shining with the glare of the sun. It was Soul Crystal. After a Soul was placed in it, it could only be extracted with the Sajuka Tree in the Shadow Realm. The juice of the Sajuka fruit was able to melt away the crystal binding. There was no way that Crimson could go there at a time like this. Instead, she put the crystal in her pocket. At the nearest given time, she would go.

Getting to her feet, Crimson set her eyes back on the target. She had stalled enough already. It would take ages at this rate to get to the castle. Maybe if she used a little magic...no! She could not! Not after what happened! Crimson ran toward the castle. Maybe if she kept moving, she wouldn't get any new ideas.

* * *

It was about four o'clock when Crimson finally got there. It was plenty enough time to get inside and find Yugi. Crimson suddenly remembered what was on top of the castle. She looked up, expecting to see the same monsters. What she saw was very different. A tall, three-headed dragon stood roaring atop the castle. Near the middle of its colossal blue body floated a corrupted skull. Across from the dying dragon was an elf warrior. He had long pointy ears and blonde hair that fell about his warrior apparel. He held a glimmering silver sword.

"What the..." Crimson scrunched her eyes. She was sure those were three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. She was almost positive. She couldn't explain why they were all merged together, but surely those were Blue-Eyes. On top of that, the warrior was a Celtic Guardian. It was some weird Duel. No way could the Guardian defeat such a powerful monster. Crimson looked closer. She realized that one head of the Dragon was already gone, and the other two had rotted almost to death. Crimson reasoned the corrupted skull in the middle of the Dragon must have weakened it. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a Mammoth Graveyard. Crimson had an urge to go up and look at the Duel. The only way she could was to fly. But she promised herself she wouldn't use magic. She promised...

Nevertheless, Crimson found herself floating near the ledge a second later. Her magic had activated without her consent yet again. This time she dismissed it and focused on the Duel. Her jaw opened with surprise. For once, she thanked the powers of the Item. As she looked on the Duel, she realized the Duelist closest to her was the very same man in her dream. Yami Yugi. It was a big surprise to her. Opposite to him was a brown-haired Duelist who everyone knew the name of. The undefeated champion of Duel Monsters and the CEO of Kaiba Corp., none other than Seto Kaiba himself. By the sidelines stood three boys and a girl, cheering Yugi on. Seto Kaiba had no support, and it looked like it didn't matter anyway. He was on his knees, head down, and shoulders shaking with...anger? Or was it the "horror" of admitting defeat that so many champions feared. Crimson didn't know, and she surely didn't have time to figure out. At that precise moment, the strings of magic holding her up vanished, every trace evaporated into air. For a split second, Crimson's heart leaped to her throat at the thought of no support. Then she went crashing to the ground.

* * *

The two Duelists faced each for the highest stakes ever known to Duel Monsters. One had to save his grandfather from the clutches of Maximillion Pegasus; the other had to save his little brother. Neither admitted defeat, and neither was willing to do so in the future either. Cheering one of the Duelists was a group of friends. One was a carefree teenager with a mass of blonde hair, Joseph Wheeler, called Joey by his friends. Another was a brown- haired guy who was a dear friend to his companions by the name of Tristan Taylor. The white haired boy was Ryou Bakura, with amazing Dueling talents and a Millennium Item to rival all others. The girl of the group, Téa Gardener, was a perky fifteen-year old who liked to - and quite quickly did - make friends. These four cheered Yugi on as he Dueled Seto Kaiba, a widely known champion. Of course, he had beaten him before, and he was about to beat him again.

"Make your move!" Yugi called. He tightened the state-of-the-art Duel Disk on his hand. The brown-haired CEO opposite to him slowly got up to his feet. He stared blankly at the Duel. He knew there was no way to win. He had no choice but to lose.

"I pass," he said, his voice shaky. He was about to lose a very important match, probably the last he'll ever play. His brother's Soul, his well-being, had been placed at stake and Seto Kaiba had let him down. Never had he disappointed his brother like this. Mokuba Kaiba had always counted on his older brother to be there for him every step of the way. Kaiba promised he would be, and now this was about to break that promise.

"Alright!" Yugi cried. He drew a card and added to his Hand with haste. "This is the end! Celtic Guardian, attack Ultimate Dragon now!" The four friends cheered as the Guardian charged, slashing at the Dragon's head. In a flash, it sloshed to the floor. "I am the victor!" Seto Kaiba stared numbly at the Dragon. His own favorite monster had failed him, just as he had failed his brother. Nothing in the world was of any importance to him now.

"He won!" Téa cried, jumping into the air. "I knew he could do it!" Joey and Tristan started to celebrate, but Bakura stared at the ledge behind Yugi.

"Is something da' matter?" Joey asked. Bakura put his finger to his chin. He spoke with a heavy British accent.

"You know, I have a feeling something is quite not right," he said. "I have a feeling something is behind Yugi. It's not a good feeling, might I add."

"What do ya mean?"

"Well, I sense a combination of a Dark and Light force coming from that ledge. Just to be safe, I'll cut off its source of power."

"Good idea," Tristan said. Bakura's Millennium Ring glowed. It sent a single flash of light toward the ledge. A few seconds later, they heard a scream.

* * *

The chamber was filled with a sickly green light. Bianca scrunched her eyes and peered into her surroundings. Without that light, the room would be pitch black. It was a wonder she could even see this much. The light was starting to lose focus. She walked forward, aimlessly searching for something that she had no idea what it was. It was a very strange room; the closer she got to the light, the higher up it went. When she was directly below it, the light didn't even reach her. She was frightened at first at the thought of being stranded in a dark chamber. Then, she again got another boost of courage. It was enough to walk her to the wall. She felt the cold stones beneath the tips of her fingers, tracing the unintelligible writing.

"What is this?" she asked. She traced every curve. She suddenly gasped and pulled away. She realized she had traced the figure of a dragon. Furthermore, it was holding a staff very much like the Enchanted Javelin.

"Blue-Eyes!" The lights flickered on around her, the shade of blue. She turned around. The chamber was filled with Duel Monster carvings. It was like a painting surrounding her. Bianca's eyes couldn't take it all in.

"What are you doing here?" asked a voice. Bianca turned toward it.

"Seth!" She fell into his arms. He ran butterfly kisses down her neck, and then he pulled her away from him abruptly, yet gently.

"You shouldn't be here!" he warned. Bianca looked around her. "Only high ranking officials can be here. You can put yourself in danger."

"I don't know how I got here," she complained. "I didn't come on purpose."

"Well, if you find yourself here, just wish yourself out. Okay, this is a very dangerous place for you. I don't want for you to get hurt." Bianca smiled and wrapped her arms around him. She felt warm in his embrace.

"I love you!"

"I love you too!" Bianca turned to look at Seth. He comforted her with a smile. But the edges of his face began to fade. Suddenly, she found herself in a world that was blurry and cold.

"Seth?" she called.

"Bianca? Bianca? Bianca?" her name kept being repeated, but she couldn't recognize the voice. It grew deeper and deeper until it ceased to be human. Bianca felt herself pulled to the ground. She fell away from Seth's arms and into the darkness ...

* * *

Seto Kaiba felt very weak. He had been a fool, to underestimate Yugi. Now, he was going to pay the price. His knees shook when he thought about losing his little brother to Pegasus. The thought sent shivers up his spine and rage throughout his heart. There still must be some way he could rescue his brother. Ever since their parents had died, they promised to look after one another. How could he let down his brother now? Well, however he felt, he couldn't show it to his own enemies. He would let them believe nothing happened. After that...he didn't know. Something tugged at his mind. Something back, deeply hidden. He found himself daydreaming...

* * *

Seth found himself facing and endless hallway. Along its sides were ancient Egyptian writings, all worn with age. He knew he was looking for something, trying to find a very important item. Yet, his mind was blank on the details of what he was looking for.

Suddenly, a door appeared along the wall. It was made of clean stone blocks, and looked amazingly knew. Out of curiosity, Seth pulled it open. He found himself facing a giant chamber. The walls were lined with every single Duel Monster carving that existed. On the far wall, a black haired girl stood outlining the carvings. To Seth, some unexplainable feeling of familiarity came to him. Perhaps this was what he was trying to find. Yes, Bianca was whom he was trying to find.

"What are you doing here?" he found himself asking. He walked toward Bianca swiftly. She turned around and almost laughed heartily.

"Seth!" He grinned as she flew into his arms. He ran kisses down her neck and pulled her away to look at her beauty. It was then that the real significance of the room came to him. He realized she was not supposed to be here.

"You shouldn't be here!" he warned. "Only high ranking officials can be here. You can put yourself in danger." He saw that Bianca was starting to notice the figures around the wall.

"I don't know how I got here," she said. "I didn't come on purpose." Her huge purple eyes seemed to draw him in.

"Well, if you find yourself here, just wish yourself out. Okay, this is a very dangerous place for you. I don't want for you to get hurt." Bianca smiled and wrapped her arms around him. He felt warm in her embrace.

"I love you!"

"I love you too!" Bianca turned to look at Seth. He comforted her with a smile. He felt complete with her in his arms. It was a feeling he never wanted to lose. He stroked her face and looked into her eyes.

"Seth?" she asked. Seth frowned. Her eyes looked glazed and in a trance.

"Bianca? Bianca? Bianca?" He shook her gently but she kept staring straight out past him. "Bianca?" He repeated her name several times but she did not recover. Slowly, he realized he could not hold his grip on her. She slipped out of his arms and he could not get her...

* * *

"Wake up!" Crimson moaned and opened her eyes. The sun was almost setting and she could feel its heat. She rubbed her head. The blurry outline of a blonde-haired woman was visible, but it was hard to see anything else. "Are you awake?" Crimson's eyes focused in on the speaker. Her hair was wavy, a little on the curly side, and blonde. She had used a ton of make-up, but it looked good on her. She wore a purple skirt and matching jacket, with a very revealing white blouse. On one hand she sported a red Duelist glove, complete with ten stars. The other hand clutched six extra stars.

Crimson moaned and turned over. Her head hurt really badly and her whole body was stiff. She faintly remembered falling from the top of the castle.

"What happened?" the woman asked.

"I fell..." Crimson moaned, pointing to the top of the castle. The woman looked at the building like it was a curse.

"From there? Girl, I think you might be mistaken. No one can survive a fall from there."

"I can..." it sounded very foolish to the ear but it was true. The woman just shook her head and smiled.

"The name's Mai, by the way. Mai Valentine." She extended her hand. Crimson took it and stood up weakly. She felt like she was about to fall over.

"Mine's Yasmine. You can call me Crimson." Mai smiled at her.

"It's nice to meet you. Now, where exactly did you fall from?" Crimson pointed up to the ledge, and Mai's disbelieving eyes followed her finger. Crimson realized how far away the top was from the ground. Mai looked at her skeptically.

"You sure?" Mai didn't know what to think of the girl. She just must have had a big fall to be jumbled up so much. Before she could make another comment, Yugi and his friends entered the scene.

* * *

"You might have won now, but we will face off again!" Kaiba said; he left the scene.

"We've been through that already," Tristan said. "Yugi'll beat you every time." Yugi sighed and collected his star chips.

"Come on guys, let's go down!" His friends followed as he made his descent to the lower level. Unlike Kaiba, they used the elevator and reached the ground in seconds. When they made their way to the entrance, they saw Mai standing next to a girl on the ground.

"Hey Mai!" Joey called. She looked up at them as they entered the area. The girl especially shot them wide glances. The friends also shot her looks.

"What's your name?" Téa asked.

"Crimson, Crimson Streaks." She smiled at them. Yugi thought there was something very familiar about her.

"It's very nice to meet you," Yugi said. He shook her hand. At that moment, a flash went across his mind. He remembered something. Something very faint... at the edge of his mind.

"Same," he heard Crimson reply.

"So, Mai," Yugi continued. He ignored the thought of having seen Crimson before. "You've already got ten star chips? The last time we saw you, you had eight."

"Now I've got double," Mai said. She extended her hands to reveal all sixteen. Everyone gasped. Mai just smiled and acted superior. "Do you all got the same?" Joey nodded and held out his hand proudly.

"Check 'em out! I got all ten of these babes right here!" Mai crossed her arms.

"Did Yugi have to hold your hand and walk you to all of them?" she teased. Joey growled.

"Now, now, Wheeler. Don't get your leash snapped." Everyone turned toward the speaker. It was Seto Kaiba.

"Lay off!" Joey raised a fist and growled automatically. Seto Kaiba smirked. His voice caught in his throat. He could put on an incredible mask of his true feelings, but inside they still showed. If he wasn't careful, he'd and up sobbing to the dirt ground. His eyes searched the crowd for someone else to pick on. He'd seen all of them. Except...the black haired girl. Kaiba gasped. He had seen her too, in his dream. It was amazing. She looked just like the beautiful girl in his dream. His mind couldn't comprehend that she was real.

"And who are you?" He narrowed his eyes at Crimson, who gulped. She knew him ever since he was twelve. She had seen him on television and other places. She had never thought someone so famous would speak to her. Yet, he seemed more familiar than a television screen face. "What's your name?" She was startled. She had forgotten he asked a question. She prepared an answer but what came out was something totally different.

"Bianca." Crimson's eyes suddenly widened at what she said. Seto Kaiba took a small step back. No one really noticed his falter. "Sorry...I don't know what got into me! That was just completely out there. I meant to say Crimson. Crimson Streaks." Kaiba opened his mouth and shut it again. It was too much of a coincidence.

"I see." He was more shocked than he sounded. Yugi also looked at Crimson curiously, as if he had heard that name somewhere.

"Well," Tristan broke the silence. "Let's go inside if we want to start the tournament." Everyone agreed. They all laughed and headed up the castle. They were almost to the door when something started to bug Crimson. She had a sudden urge to turn around and look at Seto again. She tried to fight, but it was no use. When she turned around, she saw him walking down the path. Then, in a split second, someone flew out of the trees and knocked the wind out of him, driving Seto to the ground. Another guard came out, a gun in his hand.

"Stand up!" Crimson heard him faintly say. "Pegasus would like to see you!" Crimson tensed and grabbed Joey's shoulder, since he was closest. He turned around and saw the scene.

"Ya guys, look at dat!" The others turned and gasped. Crimson gripped her head. She had this sudden feeling again. Something was telling her to get involved. Her Millennium Item started to emit a fairly visible glow. She knew what she had to do. She had to help!


	4. I Can Help!

Chapter 4 - I Can Help

"Is that Kaiba?" Téa asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Tristan said, "and some of Pegasus's goons!" Crimson tried to shut off the feeling inside her. It didn't work. Every single muscle, every single drop of blood within her, ached to destroy. Bakura noticed her Dark energy first; he shot a glance in her direction and down at her ankle. Yugi fingered his Puzzle. He felt something strange in the air, like a dark force.

_Yugi._ Yugi was startled at first, but then realized his Yami was speaking to him.

"Yami? What is it?"

_I sense something coming from Crimson's direction. I feel this presence that I've never felt before. I have a feeling it connects to the Millennium Items. I know it does._

"You think?"

_Yes. And, I have this strange feeling I've seen that Crimson before. She looks so familiar; I know I've seen her. And the name she gave, Bianca? I've heard that too._

"Well, it blows my mind!" Yugi turned back to Crimson. She looked like she was about to burst.

"Give up Kaiba," one of the guards shouted, making a move to show that he obviously had a gun.

"What do you want?" Kaiba demanded.

"We have what we want," the other guard sneered. "We have the heir to the Kaiba family that is required to run Kaiba Corporation. Now you're just a third wheel."

"Pegasus stated that his best interest was to get rid of you as quickly as possible." The man with the gun raised his hand. "I figured I'd do the honors. I mean, how many people get to do what I'm doing?" Kaiba made an attempt to get to his feet but they were numb with the blow he had received earlier.

"You don't scare me," he said. "Try your tricks." The gunman sneered and readied his weapon. He slid his index finger on top of the trigger.

"Oh my gosh!" Mai cried. "That guy is going to shoot Kaiba!"

"What can we do?" Téa asked.

"I have an idea!" Crimson said. She hurried toward the scene. Her friends were shocked at first and then suddenly snapped to their senses. I have to save Kaiba. _Besides, that's the only way I can let my Dark energy lose without hurting my friends._

"Come back!" Yugi yelled. It was too late. Crimson had already reached Kaiba and was trying to help him. Thrusting his hand out, he sent Crimson sprawling to the ground. Yugi and the gang looked on worriedly as the gunman aimed at Crimson. There was nothing they could do.

* * *

"Leave him alone!" ordered Crimson. She hurried to Kaiba's side. "Are you okay?" She crouched down and tried to help him up.

"I can take care of myself, you know," he muttered back, thrusting out his hand and pushing her away. Unbalanced, she fell back to the ground. She felt a searing pain rip through her cheek.

"This is none of your business, girl!" the unarmed man shouted. The other man directed his gun at her.

"Get away before it's too late!" the man barked. "I will shoot if need be!" Crimson shot a helpless glance at Kaiba.

"Go! I can handle this," he said. Crimson looked back at the two men. _No you can't. Don't be an idiot_

"I won't go away!" Crimson settled her hands on her hips. "You'll have to make me." The man with the gun smirked, and pulled the trigger.

* * *

The gang watched as Crimson got up, rubbing her cheek. The gunman was still holding the gun pointed at her, and he showed no sign of moving it.

"Let's go down there and help!" Yugi said.

"Are you crazy?" Mai asked. "They'll shoot us!"

"Crimson's down there!" Yugi said. "I don't know why, but something tells me she is about to get shot. We've got to help her."

"You know," Tristan said. "If we go as a group, maybe we can look like we're more threatening then we are."

"Tristan," Joey sighed. "Five teenagers aren't gonna look threatening to two whacked out guys with those guns!"

"Stop arguing and let's go!" Yugi yelled. He was almost to the scene. He halted in his tracks when he saw the man with the gun was about to hurt Crimson, badly.

The bullet caught Crimson right in the shoulder. She screamed and fell to her knees. She faintly heard Yugi calling but it was hard to tell. The pain was starting to travel up her arm and down through the rest of her body. Blood trickled down from the wound, seeping through her yellow sleeve. Crimson gripped her arm tightly. The pain had reached an unbearable measure, and she felt very light headed. The world spun around.

Suddenly, she felt this force from her Millennium Anklet. She felt Dark waves dance around. The trees around her burst into flame as they had done before on many occasions. With looks of horror, the two men tried to run but it was too late. The Dark energy gripped them with its corrupted hand, squeezing the life and soul out of them. Their bodies melted and disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke. When everything cleared, Crimson was lying on the ground in a pool of blood and two Crystals lay where the men had stood.

* * *

"Crimson!" Yugi shrieked as the bullet made contact with her right shoulder. She screamed and fell to the ground. Blood had started seeping down her sleeve in a river of red.

"Oh no!" Mai cried.

"She's shot!" Téa said.

"Let's go!" Joey said. One thing's for sure, when a girl was hurt, he had to be on the scene.

"Wait up!" The friends raced toward Crimson. Yugi had almost reached her when he felt something that made him stop in his tracks.

_Yugi! Go back! Stay far away!_ Yugi obeyed, immediately backtracking. His friends, confused, repeated his motions. Right then, a huge blast erupted from the place where Crimson lay. Dark, sickly strands of light poured out, making trees burst into flame right where they stood. The same fate met the two men, and they disappeared. Just as the explosion started, it stopped. When the smoke cleared. They saw two Crystals and Crimson lying on the ground. Kaiba was huddled near a tree that was miraculously untouched. He, on the other hand, had quite a few bruises and minor burns.

* * *

Kaiba watched as the two gunmen prepared to shoot him. He wasn't afraid. It was better than facing a world without his little brother.

"Leave him alone!" Kaiba turned around, surprised. He saw the new girl he had just talked to a while ago was running up to him. Strange, she looked even more familiar. She crouched by Kaiba's face. "Are you okay?" She put her hand on his shoulder and tried to help him up. He had a sudden urge to touch her strands of smooth black hair. In an effort to stop himself, he pushed her away.

"I can take care of myself, you know," he muttered. Crimson fell backwards, unable to stop herself. For that moment, he felt something sear across his cheek. He felt it, but no injury was evident. When he looked at Crimson, he saw that on her cheek was a scrape that was starting to bleed. _I must be losing it, again._

"This is none of your business, girl!" the unarmed man shouted. The other man directed his gun at her.

"Get away before it's too late!" the man barked. "I will shoot if need be!" Crimson shot a helpless glance at Kaiba. Kaiba had one of those strange familiarity feelings again. Where had he seen this girl before?

"Go! I can handle this," Kaiba said. Crimson looked back at the two men. Her expression seemed to say, "No you can't."

"I won't go away!" Crimson settled her hands on her hips. "You'll have to make me." Kaiba mentally sighed. This girl was stubborn, for sure. The man with the gun smirked, and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew and made contact with Crimson's right shoulder. Right at that moment, Kaiba felt his own arm go up in pain. He gripped his arm but nothing was wrong with it. He saw Crimson kneeling on the ground, her arm pouring blood. He couldn't just let her die there.

"Crimson!" Kaiba turned to see Yugi running up. Behind him was the rest of the gang. Kaiba knew Crimson would be okay. Suddenly, Yugi stopped. He back up almost as quickly as he came, and his friends followed suit. Kaiba turned his attention to Crimson just as a blast from her direction sent him sprawling back into a tree. He fell unconscious immediately.

* * *

Bianca found herself in a field of flowers. She had no idea how she got there, but knew it was a place she had often visited. The flowers tilted and swayed with the peaceful wind that blew across, lightly sweeping Bianca's hair back. Butterflies flew around and birds chirped from an unknown location. Bianca lay back down in the field and laughed. Hearing soft footsteps, she turned her head. She saw Seth and almost jumped up.

"Bianca!" he gasped. "You scared me!" Bianca giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I was waiting,..." she whispered in his ear. Seth smiled and stroked her hair. Bianca couldn't have been happier. But moments like this were easily spoiled. She felt Seth being dragged out of her arms.

"Seth?" He seemed just as surprised. Suddenly he vanished. Just like that, he was gone. Bianca looked around her. "Seth?" She ran everywhere. The grass was tall. He could be hiding anywhere, or he could be gone! Erased from this world like countless other occasions.

"NO!"

* * *

Seth found himself wandering through a field of flowers high as his waist. One second he was in his chamber, the next he was here in the middle of nowhere. His feet began to move on their own. It led him to a place where butterflies floated and wind blew. It seemed like a totally different world. In the middle was a small clearing barely big enough for a person to lie down in. As Seth walked toward it, a girl almost jumped right into him. It took a few seconds for him to find his breath.

"Bianca! You scared me!" Bianca only giggled as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I was waiting,..." she whispered right into his ear. Seth stroked her hair and settled his hand back down on her shoulder. Time passed slowly as the two of them just stood there. Suddenly, Seth felt himself being dragged somewhere. He looked around. Bianca tightened her grip but he still felt himself slipping.

"Seth?" The world around him vanished into darkness.

* * *

"Kaiba? Kaiba? SETO!" Seto Kaiba opened his eyes to find himself staring at a girl he knew all too well.

"What is it, Téa?" he asked. She sighed.

"Good, you're alive!" Kaiba groaned as he sat up. His face hurt really bad, bad enough that he could have expressed it in words if it didn't hurt to move his mouth so much. "Don't move. You have several bruises. We'll try to help you."

"No thanks," he replied, brushing her hand off his sleeve. It hurt to say every word. "I can carry my own weight." He looked over at Crimson. Yugi was wrapping a cloth around her arm, but she was still unconscious. Mai walked over to Téa.

"She's still in critical condition," she said. "She's lost so much blood and there's no way we can replace it!" Téa gasped. "We don't know how we can get her to the hospital."

"How 'bout on Kaiba's copter?" Joey suggested. Everyone turned hopefully toward Kaiba. He shook his head.

"Does it look like I'm in a condition to pilot it, Wheeler?"

"Kaiba!" Mai protested. "Crimson could die!! We have to help!"

"It's not my problem she went and got herself shot!" Every word stung him with pain as much as it hurt everyone's heart to hear.

"Seto Kaiba!" Téa said. "She tried to _defend_ you and you're not willing to lend even a caring heart. What kind of human being are you?"

"Téa's right, Kaiba," Yugi said. "There's no other way. We have to keep her alive!" Seto Kaiba smirked, and the pain almost made him swear out loud.

"Look," Tristan said. "She's waking up!" Everyone, even Kaiba, turned their attention to Crimson as she moaned and slowly opened her eyes.

"Are okay?" Joey queried. Crimson winced.

"I'm on the ground, bleeding, with a bullet in my arm! **NO! I'M NOT OKAY! IT HURTS LIKE CRAP! EVEN MORE THAN CRAP**!"

"We thought as much," Téa mumbled.

"Don't worry, we'll help somehow!" Yugi said. "I promise!" Crimson smiled.

"I've got an idea. Do you have any Spellcaster cards? Female preferably; men are a pain in the ass to work with. I mean, they act as if they're the kings of the world. The female Duel Monsters also have a good name, but they never listen." Everyone looked at her questionably.

"What?"

"Forget it. Just get me a female Spellcaster card. Oh yeah, I want a Light card, mind you." Yugi searched through his deck.

"Would the Mystical Elf be good?" He held up the card.

"I've used her in practice Duels too many times, but she'll have to do. Put it in my hand." Yugi slipped it into the closest hand, the right one. "Um...the other one." Yugi switched the card to the other hand. "Okay, just a minute." Everyone waited. And waited. And waited.

"What taking so long?" Mai asked. Before anyone could give her a reply, beams of light shot up from the Duel Monster card. A swirl of sparkle dust rose up and formed the shape of a woman, and the Mystical Elf appeared. She blinked a couple of times.

"Where am I?" She spotted Crimson on floor scowling up at her. "Got yourself hurt again? For Ra's sake, can't you just be a normal teenager?"

"Okay, I've only Dueled with you. Never asked you to heal me! How do you know how many times I've been hurt?"

"You get hurt using your Item. Energy from that is easy to trace."

"It's not my fault!"

"Whatever."

"Just heal me!"

"Heal you?"

"YES!" The Mystical Elf sighed.

"Alright!" She clasped her hands together. As she chanted an ancient hymn, a cloud of sparkly smoke surrounded Crimson. It soaked up the blood and made the bullet turn to dust, which was carried along with the sparkles. A cool breeze blew everything away. Mystical Elf lowered her hands.

"HAPPY?" In another small flash, she reappeared on the card. Crimson sat up and rubbed her arm.

"I'm alive!" she cried. She picked up the card and gave it to Yugi.

"Thank you. Next time, I've got to ask some other Monster. That one knows me too well from seeing me Duel with her so many times."

"Is she in your deck?" Yugi asked. He was surprised he could even phrase a question. The appearance of the Duel Monster was enough to shock everyone, including him, into silence.

"Well, I don't really have a deck. Mystical Elf is actually in my best friend's deck, which I use a lot."

"Well, it's a relief to see you alright. We were quite worried," Bakura said. The others nodded.

"Where's Kaiba?" Crimson asked. The others motioned behind her. He stood there with his arms crossed.

"Well, at least you're alive." He turned around and started walking away. Crimson ran up and faced him.

"How about you?" she asked. She ran a finger down his cheek, touching his bruises. Kaiba clenched his teeth to keep from moving away. Her finger felt amazing warm and comforting.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you want it healed?" Kaiba looked at her.

"I told you once, I'll say it again. I can look after myself!" He glared at her. She calmly stepped up to him. The top of her head barely touched his chin.

"I thought it once, now I'll say it out loud. No you can't!" She had to look quite a ways up and it was hurting her neck. The other friends watched in amusement.

"Get out of my way."

"Let me heal you."

"Fat chance."

"Kaiba!"

"Crimson!"

"Kaiba!"

"Crimson!"

"Kaiba! Okay, that's it! I will heal you now! I got myself shot, unless you didn't notice, so you could stay alive. You will cooperate!" Kaiba, amazingly, didn't object.

"Kaiba's getting yelled at by a girl and he can't fight her?" Joey whispered to the gang. Meanwhile, Crimson put a hand up to his cheek. Kaiba felt a cool wave go through his body, wiping the pain away from every limb. His face felt amazingly warm and relaxed. Crimson withdrew her arm and shivered.

"Something strange," she said. "It feels like I've done that before." Kaiba shook his head.

"Enough stalling, I've got to go! I've got a company to run!" Kaiba walked away. The rest of gang tried to swallow their laughter and caught up to Crimson.

"What do you say we get into the castle?" Joey asked.

"Yeah," Crimson said, her voice sounding very far away. She kept on watching Kaiba as he walked away. Mai looked in the direction she was walking.

"If I didn't know better," she said. Crimson barely listened, still watching Kaiba. "I say you fancy him." The words hit Crimson like a boulder over her head.

"I do not!" she yelled, loud enough for the whole island to hear. She peeled her eyes away from him. "Let's go!" She raced to the castle.

"Hey wait up!" her friends cried as they ran after her.


	5. The Fateful Night

Chapter 5 - The Fateful Night

Crimson raced toward the castle, her friends close behind. _I do not like Kaiba! That is absurd! Ridiculous! No way! I DO NOT LIKE HIM! I think..._ Crimson shook her head, still running. _I couldn't like him, no matter how familiar he looks. He's too...his attitude is just...I can't_. Crimson stopped at the door, waiting for her friends to catch up.

"You...run...fast..." Joey panted. He was the first to reach her, followed by Téa, Mai, Tristan, Bakura, and Yugi.

"We better get inside. The faster we get in...I just realized I have no idea what we're going to do in the castle."

"We never explained," Yugi said. "Crimson, we're competing in the tournament to save my grandpa."

"Your grandfather? Why?"

"You see, Maximillion Pegasus stole his soul and imprisoned it within the castle." Crimson gasped. "The only way to save him is to beat Pegasus at his own game. But Pegasus's Millennium Eye is strong."

"Millennium Eye huh? It's not as strong as the other Millennium Items." Everyone looked at her like she was an alien. "What?"

"You know about the Millennium Items?" Bakura asked.

"Yeah, I have one." Crimson lifted a leg of her black pants to reveal the Anklet. "It's called the Millennium Anklet, and it's one of the more powerful. It has Invisibility, Levitation, Teleportation, and Soul powers."

"Interesting," Téa said. "The more we go along, the more Millennium Items we come across."

"Have you seen any other Millennium Items?"

"Well...there's the Eye. Then Bakura's Millennium Ring and my Millennium Puzzle. Have you seen any others?"

"The Millennium Ankh. That's all I know of. I met this man in Cairo that held it. He was the one to give me this Anklet. He also told me of some 'destiny'."

"Let's go inside already," Mai said. "I don't get all this Millennium stuff. The only thing it hits is the Millennium Sale that's going on in the mall, and I don't that has anything to do with Cairo and Eyes and Puzzles." Mai started up the stairs.

"She's right. We're not gonna save Yug's Gramps by standin' around. Let's go!" Joey and Tristan headed up.

"Let's go! The faster we're up there, the sooner we can get out of this island." Téa ran up. Bakura shrugged and followed.

"Hurry!" Yugi followed close behind. Crimson stood there, looking at them.

"Millennium Items. More Millennium Items. Soul Stealers, and Cairo. The more dreams, the more answers. It seems coming here has set a reaction. One thing just leads to the next. Who knows, we could be going to the Shadow Realm for all the world."

* * *

Seto Kaiba sat at the edge of a rock, head in his hands. His chopper was missing and he couldn't get home. Plus, his brother was trapped forever and his company was going to be taken over. Nothing had ever gone all wrong this fast. His world had been turned upside down in a matter of days. 

What about that new Crimson girl? He would have been killed if it hadn't been for her. It didn't really matter. There was no point in going on if Mokuba wasn't there. Everything he had ever done was for his brother. But the girl was definitely interesting. He knew many girls liked him at school, but not to the extent that they would almost sacrifice themselves. But...did Crimson like him? From what he heard coming away from the castle, what Mai had said, and the way Crimson hotly denied it, kind of made him think so.

_That's ridiculous. I don't have time for this. I have to find a way to get off this island and free Mokuba._ Crimson still edged into his mind. One thing about her especially bothered him...her resemblance to Bianca. It was one thing when he realized the Pharaoh was undoubtedly Yugi. But Crimson looked a lot like Bianca. Her black flowing hair, warm smile - the one time he saw it - and her voice too. All resembled Bianca. And when she had given that name the first time he asked, it was beginning to be too much of a coincidence.

_I shouldn't think about her. I have other problems._ Kaiba looked up at the sun. He wished the day would end already. That way, he could be sure nothing else went wrong the same day.

* * *

Crimson, Yugi, and the others reached the top of the castle where the guard was waiting for them in front of the door. 

"Present your star chips for entrance," he declared. Mai, Joey, and Yugi held up their gloves. The others glanced at each other. The guard nodded and the three Duelists entered. However, the guard blocked the others.

"What do you think this is? A clubhouse? Only Duelists may enter into the castle."

"You have to let us in!" Téa pleaded. "We're the cheerleaders!"

"The cheer what?"

"Yeah, let us in!" Crimson said. She walked right up to the man so she was face to face. "Do I have to show you why?" Her eyes burned red.

"No...ma'am...go on ahead..." Crimson smirked and let herself in, followed by her uneasy friends. The guard stood rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend what he had seen.

The gang raced through the hallways and up the stairs. They ended up on the upper gallery overlooking a dangerous pit. A familiar face was already there, leaning on the banister with a leg propped up on the bars.

"Bandit Keith! I hate this freak-show!" Joey muttered as he raised a fist. Keith noticed the gang standing there.

"Well well...if it isn't the dweeb and his friends," he chuckled. Joey growled.

"YOU CREEP! I've been wantin' te cream ya eva since we got outta dat cave!" Joey charged and prepared to punch Keith. Instead, he was blocked every time.

"You missed...oops...nice shot!" Bandit took no effort to block the punches, while Joey was giving it all he had. "Can't this little grudge of yours wait?" Joey snarled.

"You wish!"

"Suit yourself, but Mr. Pegasus is just about to start his speech!"

"Huh?" Everyone turned around to meet none other than Maximillion Pegasus. He was standing in the doorway where they just came from, but no one heard him approach.

"Greetings, fellow Duelists. Welcome to the finals of my tournament." Pegasus looked much like the king of his castle, with a bright red suit and fluttered collar. "I trust you all come prepared and ready to Duel your hardest. Only one of you can win the three million dollar prize...only one of you can battle me to the finish... only one of you can earn the title King of Games. Or Queen..." he eyed Mai. "So tomorrow, at sunrise, prepare to Duel." Pegasus spun on his heels and left. Behind him stood a green-haired man in a gray suit.

"Duelists. I will now show you to your rooms. Dinner will be served in one hour. You are expected to be up tomorrow at seven for breakfast, with the finals starting sharply at eight!" He motioned a finger for them to follow. He led the Duelists to a hallway filled with doors.

"You may choose. Dinner will be in the dining room. The staircase to your left, down, and then right onto the main hall." He left.

"They make it seem like we're in the military!" Tristan muttered.

"Come on," Bakura said. "Let's choose our rooms and then we can hang out till dinner." Everyone agreed. Joey took the room closet to the staircase, while everyone filled in as far as possible from him.

"Crimson!" Téa whispered. "Have this room. It's best to keep as far away from Joey as he can. He snores! Loudly!" Crimson nodded with a chuckle. When they had disposed of all backpacks and travel bags, they hung out in the hallway.

"So, I wanna know," Crimson said, looking at Bandit, Mai, and Joey. "Why are you three in the tournament?"

"Well," Mai started. "Didn't you hear the grand prize? Three million dollars. I could buy a whole bunch of stuff with that! Plus, you don't find that many girl Duelists around. I gotta prove that we can beat the guys!"

"My reason is a bit less of physical things. I'm Dueling to beat Pegasus at Duel Monsters. He humiliated me in the National Championship. I want payback."

"I'm Duelin' for a good cause. My little sis needs an eye surgery but my family doesn' have enough money. My mom and da are divorced and my sis lives with my mom. Eva since she was born, her eyes were bad. She might go blind if we don't have dis operation. The three million will help her."

"Interesting."

"It's almost dinner time!" Yugi announced. Before he could get the last word out of his lips, Joey raced down the stairs. "Almost..." Everyone raced after him.

* * *

Pegasus stood in his ocean view room, sipping his drink. He smirked out the window onto the sunset. 

"So, Croquet, do I make myself clear?" His green-haired tournament liaison nodded his head. He spoke in a gruff voice.

"Yes, sir. Bandit Keith, Mai Valentine, and Joey Wheeler will be imprisoned in the dungeons until the tournament is over. The other friends that Yugi Motou has with him will be 'held up' until your Duel is over. Is that as you ordered?"

"Yes, Croquet. That way, Yugi will be all alone so I can face him for the final Duel. How I have waited for this moment. Now that Kaiba is defeated and seemingly too depressed to protect his company any longer, the only thing needed is for me to defeat Yugi. And his friends will be too much of a bother if they get in the way." Croquet nodded and exited the room. Pegasus chuckled to himself.

"Yes, this will be perfect. The three other finalists won't be present and therefore disqualified. The others will have other things to deal with. That leaves me and Yugi to settle the deal of so many things. The souls, Kaiba Corp., and his Millennium Puzzle will soon be mine. Cecilia, I will revive you!" He looked at the painting on the wall. A beautiful blonde-haired girl stared back at him. His wife, before she had died from a terrible disease on their honeymoon. "I promise!"

* * *

"ALRIGHT!" Joey cheered. The table was already set for the eight of them. Scrumptious-looking dishes lined the table. "EATING TIME!" Joey and Tristan reached the table, lunging for the food. 

"Ahem!" Joey and Tristan stopped in the middle of arguing over sides of the chicken. "Haven't you ever heard of ladies first?" Mai queried. The two guys looked at each other.

"No." They went back to arguing about the sides of the chicken. Mai sighed and took her seat. "There's always the soup." Téa shook her head and sat next to Mai. Crimson took a seat between Yugi and Bakura on the opposite side. Bandit sat next to Yugi. They looked around. Except for Tristan and Joey arguing in a whisper, it was silent.

"Will someone tell us to start?" Téa asked. They looked around. "Apparently not."

"Maybe we should wait a few minutes, you guys," Yugi suggested. They did for ten minutes. When Yugi reasoned it was way over the time Pegasus set in the first place, they started eating.

"This is delicious!" Tristan exclaimed, having won the argument and the bigger side of the chicken. "Don't you guys think so?

"I don't know," Bandit said. "Cause we ain't got any to eat!"

"The soup's good too!" Yugi said. Crimson decided to start on that and slurped it up. Everyone stopped and stared at her.

"WHAT? You all act as if I'm a zombie whenever I do something!"

"Slurping?" Téa asked. "What happened to table manners?"

"To hell with table manners! I'm hungry and I haven't seen this much food in ages! Besides, there are no grown-ups here!"

"Excuse me?" Mai and Bandit said at the same time.

"Grown-ups classified as married and having children."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I swear if you give me _the look_ one more time, I will burn you up."

An hour later, everyone leaned back in his or her seat, full of food.

"I have'n eaten 'dis well in ages," Joey said.

"None of us have, and we almost didn't cause of YOU AND TRISTAN!" Téa complained.

"But, the food was quite nice," Bakura said. "Even if Joey and Tristan ate most of it."

"Hey! You guys ate as much as I did!" Tristan said.

"Yeah, all of us together!"

"Come on guys! We have Dueling to do tomorrow," Yugi said. "We best get to bed as soon as possible." Everyone stared at him like he was crazy. "Now you're giving _me_ The Look!"

"It's eight o'clock, Yugi!" Crimson said incredulously. "You expect me to sleep?"

"Well, we're supposed to be up and ready at seven tomorrow. I don't see how you can manage it. We need at least nine or ten hours of sleep."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, let's go!" Everyone headed upstairs.

"Good night!" Everyone dispersed into his or her room. Téa went into hers and locked the door. The room seemed distant as her gaze gave it a preliminary look. The bed especially looked comfy. All she wanted to do was lay back and fall asleep. She kicked off her brown boots and took off her pink vest. Flinging them on the floor, she hurried to the bed and fell into it.

As soon as she lay down, all the tiredness in her went away. She no longer wanted to sleep. The bed was so warm and soft; the pillows seemed to be calling with their soft lullaby. Her mind, however, refused to go to sleep.

_It's strange. Crimson has that Millennium Anklet. I wonder if that was the strange power Bakura was detecting. And what she did when Kaiba was about to be shot. That was scary. I mean, everything around her burst into flames. Maybe the Millennium Items are more powerful than we thought._

* * *

Yugi walked into his room. In reality, he wasn't tired. But he knew he needed to rest if he ever wanted his energy. He took off his shoes and coat and placed his Puzzle by the bedside table. Ever since he had gotten the Puzzle, his life had been different. Every time he fought a Duel, he seemed to be a different person. On top of that, he was sucked into this whole tournament where everyone seemed to have some secret past or magic item. 

Crimson caught his eye especially. She looked so familiar he couldn't place it. Her face looked as if he had seen her somewhere before. Somewhere... somewhere recently.

"I'm just going mental."

_Yugi?_ Yugi looked at the puzzle, where the voice of his yami was coming from.

"What do you make of Crimson?"

_I don't know, still. Too many puzzles exist in this world for us to comprehend, Yugi. Destiny will let us know when the time is right._ Yugi sighed and got into bed. He was afraid Yami was going to say that. He often talked about destiny as if it were a game. It probably was. And he was the playing piece. But who was the hand that moved him?

* * *

Joey walked into his room. He was too lazy to lock his door. After a good dinner, all he wanted to do was lay back and sleep. His feet dragged. He couldn't go much farther. With a slight yawn, he fell onto the nearest couch and snoozed off immediately.

* * *

Tristan sat at the edge of his bed. He had only taken off his shoes, which lay thrown about on the floor. He was deep in thought about what had happen that day. 

_I knew it! Those waves I had seen earlier were coming from her ankle. I just knew it!_ Tristan replayed the image in his head. He saw Crimson getting shot in the arm. As Yugi ran to help her, something exploded and waves of black light poured from her.

_Such a coincidence. How come so many things these days have to do with those funky items_.

* * *

Bakura looked out the window. The pale moonlight seemed to illuminate his already light-skinned face. He fingered the edge of his Millennium Ring. He thought about the Dark force he had detected earlier that day. 

"It couldn't have come from her Item, could it? I mean, she seems so friendly and stuff. Could there be a Dark part of her I don't know?"

* * *

Bandit Keith chuckled to himself as he unlaced his boots. He tossed them off and his vest as well. Then he settled back in the bed. 

_It seems so wonderful, to enjoy life. To see Kaiba beaten by that little punk, Yugi. And to be able to beat Pegasus's sorry little ass out of his own tournament. Yep, the life._

* * *

Mai Valentine took off her jacket and sat down on the couch. She laid out her Duel Monsters cards around her. 

"I'm gonna have to face one of those chumps tomorrow," she said aloud. "I have to prepare a strategy that can defeat any one of them. Let's see, I've already Dueled Joey so I know his plan of attack. Bandit Keith is a complete mystery to me, but I've seen Yugi Duel once and it's plenty for me. I know what kind of Duelist he is. I'll take on any of them." She selected cards and piled them on top of each other, trying to create a plan of attack.

* * *

Croquet peeked into the hallway. He saw all the doors of the rooms closed. He could hear snoring in the closest one. 

"Come on, let's check that one first!" Croquet pointed to a random door on the right. Kemo and three other guards followed him to the door. Croquet pressed his ear to the doorknob.

"I believe Harpy's Lady will do best if put...here!" Mai's voice said from within.

"Great! Here's one of them. Get ready." Kemo nodded, and pulled out his knife.

* * *

Crimson sat on the windowsill, her legs pulled under her chin and her hands around them. The moonlight made an interesting pattern on her pants, making the sparkles light up. Crimson was staring out onto the rooftop where Kaiba and Yugi had been Dueling just that afternoon. 

"It seems like a whole n'other day," she whispered. Her fingers played with her Anklet. "Why was I dragged into this?" She thought about her dreams and how she, Yugi, and the mysterious guy all played a part in it.

"I wonder...will the dreams have to do with any of the other Millennium Items?" Crimson leaned her head on the wall. Her thoughts shimmered in and out until her eyelids finally closed.

* * *

Bianca stood facing a giant doorway. No handle or any other way to open it was visible. Bianca became frustrated. She wanted to open the door, though one section of her heart told her it was dangerous. 

_How can a door be dangerous? I am so silly!_ Bianca felt along the surface of the door, tracing the hieroglyphs. She read them, but they made no sense. She knew Seth could easily solve something like this. She tried to picture him in her mind, but somehow the face was cloudy. She squinted harder.

"Don't!" Bianca turned around. Her brother, Atem, stood near the corner of the chamber. "You are too young to realize what you are getting into."

"What do you mean?"

"Seth is a dangerous man. I know your infatuation for him has grown stronger, but I am warning you. DO NOT GO NEAR HIM!"

"Atem, dear, I promise he is not as bad as he seems."

"Bianca...he is a sorcerer after my powers. I want you to stay away from him and think of him no more."

* * *

Crimson opened her eyes again. That was a weird dream. _It seems my dreams are going back in time, somehow. The recent dreams are earlier than the ones I had first. I wonder why..._

Crimson got up and went to the mirror. She fingered her bangs. _On another note, no one has noticed I look like Yugi. Isn't it obvious?_ She smirked. Suddenly, a short scream erupted from the room next to her. Crimson spun around, her Anklet already pounding against her like crazy.

_Mai!_ Crimson raced to the door. Her Item furiously started to glow. _NO! If I go out there, this will react. I have to stay here! The others will help her._ Unfortunately, no one else heard Mai.

* * *

The guards outside Mai's door creaked it open. They were relieved to see that Mai was sitting with her back to them. They tiptoed inside as quickly and quietly as they could. Croquet stood guard outside. The four made a semi-circle around Mai. 

"I think if I pair Mirror Wall with this..." Mai trailed off. She felt someone behind her. Some people behind her.

"Who's there?" she asked, not quite turning around. She heard no reply. Gathering her courage she whipped around. Almost immediately, someone cuffed a hand around her shoulders. She screamed shortly, but they clasped her mouth shut. One of the men put a knife right under her chin.

"You will do as we say, or this will go through!" Mai felt a tiny prick as the blade made contact with her skin. "Now stand up." They pushed the flat side of the knife against her neck to lift her up. With the coat that was sprawled on the floor, they bound her hands behind her back. "Now walk." Mai had no choice. She let herself be led out of the room.

Everyone but one guard let go of her. The guard that held on only grasped a shoulder and the knife. Mai knew she couldn't escape.

"Don't worry. Just walk straight!" Mai felt helpless as she was led down the stairs, while the rest of the guards debated which door to choose next.

* * *

The Pharaoh, Atem, climbed the flight of stairs. They seemed to go on and on and on. Finally, a black door appeared at the top. He grasped the knob and pushed it open. 

Suddenly, Atem found himself in the middle of the Egyptian Desert. He squinted in the midday sun to look around. Near a lone tree, Bianca stood leaning against the trunk.

"Bianca!" He ran over to him. She glanced at him with a tear-streaked face.

"Why?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you embarrass me in front of Seth today?" Atem looked away, full of guilt.

"Because...I don't want you and him together. The only way I could do that was to say something that would make you never want to look into his eyes again."

"Why do you think he is so dangerous?"

"Bianca...you can't love him."

"Answer the question!"

"Well...he is after my powers. Bianca, I do not get what you see in him."

"Just the same, I don't see the evil. He is kind and never ceases to please me with his magic tricks."

"Magic tricks? He's a sorcerer, sister. He will betray us one day."

"NO! He will never do that!"

"My conversation with you is over. I want you to forget him and everything about him. From tomorrow, I won't let you leave your room without a guard." Atem turned around and left. The darkness surrounded him.

* * *

Yugi sat up in bed. The dream didn't make sense. He had been getting many bits and pieces of that dream, including a very violent one. He had discussed with Yami about the dream, but Yami remembered nothing. It was all strange...

"Crimson!" The knowledge struck him like lightning. "Of course! That's why she's so familiar!"

* * *

"That one!" A purple-haired guard shouted. Croquet shrugged.

"We have nothing to lose, really. Kemo, open the door." The man snorted and tried to turn the doorknob. It didn't open. He tried again, harder. It was locked.

"Now what?"

"Try another door, you fool!" Kemo randomly chose a door and opened it. "Idiot!" Kemo turned to look at Croquet before closing the door immediately.

"We need to be ready."

"Bandit Keith was in there, Sir," the purple haired guard reported.

"Well, then, we have to be ready." Kemo nodded, and pulled out his knife again.

"And you think that will stand against Keith?" Croquet asked. Kemo switched it for a gun. "Much better." They got into their positions and opened the door. Bandit Keith was sprawled on the bed, sleeping. His snoring was almost as loud as Joey's.

"Quietly..." They tiptoed in until they surrounded the bed. Bandit suddenly opened his eyes.

"I saw that, punk." The guards froze. "What are you doin' in my room?"

"We need you to report to Maximillion Pegasus."

"You ain't gonna make me do nothing," Bandit said. Kemo rolled his eyes and pulled out the gun.

"How much encouragement do you need?" Bandit eyed the gun and reluctantly got out of bed.

"I'm warnin' you guys. You better not put me in some cage or somethin'..."

* * *

"Oof!" Bandit was tossed into the cell and the door closed shut behind him.

"YOU PUNKS!" he screamed, throwing himself against the bars.

"Calm down," Mai said quietly. He turned to look at her.

"What are you doing down here?"

"They got me too, you pea brain. Joey's coming soon enough. We might as well get comfortable cause we're going to be here till the finals are over."

"There ain't gonna be no finals without us."

"Pegasus only wants to Duel Yugi for whatever reason. Let him, and we'll get out of here fast."

"I can't stand around here all day. I want to win the tournament."

"So do I, knuckle head, so just relax and we'll get our chance."

"Whatdya mean?"

"They're bringing Joey too, remember? There will be less guards cause he's skinny. Then, both of us can over power them. Got my logic?"

"It better work!"

* * *

"I hear snoring from this one. It's gotta be that kid Joey!" Kemo said.

"That guy is such a weakling it's not even funny."

"We don't need to be armed. Let's go in there and get him." Kemo, Croquet, and the purple-haired guard nodded and they opened the door. It was pitch black inside.

"The kid forgot to open his blinds. I knew he was dense..."

"STOP!" The guards jumped, trying to find the source. It was inevitably Joey's voice. "I'm armed, ya freaks! So don't botha gettin' close!" The guards panicked. When their eyes focused a little, they looked at the bed. Joey wasn't in it. "If ya don't leave in a minute, you'll have more holes in ya than Swiss cheese!" The guards yelled and ran out of the room. Unseen to them, Joey sprawled off the couch, still asleep.

"So move it ya freak! I'll neva' give up my donut!"

* * *

The sun rose in the east, making the shadows dance on the castle. Everyone but Mai and Bandit were already in the dining room, about to enjoy breakfast. Tristan and Yugi were trying to desperately hold back Joey from diving into the pancakes.

"Joey! We have to wait for Mai...and Keith!"

"But Yug'! They're blueberry!" Joey tried to reach for the pancake.

"Joey," Tristan said. "If I can handle it, you can!" Just then, Croquet came in.

"You guys may start. Unfortunately, Mai and Bandit are a bit too 'occupied' to join you. Please, they ask that you start without them." He left the room as quickly as he came in.

"Somethin's up! They wouldn' do dat!"

"I know," Crimson said. "But what do you think happened?"


	6. Finding Mokuba

Chapter 6 - Finding Mokuba

"I don't get it," Téa said. "I remember last night they were fine. What could be wrong?" The others at the table looked at each other uneasily. Crimson twisted her fork between her thumb and index finger.

"Well, last night..." she started, "I was looking at myself in the mirror. I heard Mai scream and rushed to help her. The problem was that my Anklet was starting to take control again. I didn't want to burn down the castle or anything. I thought you guys would hear her..."

"We didn't here anything," Bakura stated.

"Well, I could have been imagining things..."

"I don't think so," Yugi cut in. "It's too much of a coincidence. Now, we just have to figure out why _both_ of them are gone. You only heard Mai scream..."

"Maybe Bandit abducted her and escaped from the island!" Tristan said. The others gave him The Look.

"Ah, come on, Tristan! He wouldn' do dat!"

"Besides, how would Croquet speak about it in that way?" Crimson queried. "I mean, they couldn't have told us that they asked that we start eating."

"Good point," Tristan said.

"Maybe we should search de castle...there could be clues?"

"Good idea, Joey," Téa said. "We should look around to see if there are any clues." Everyone nodded and got up from their chairs.

* * *

"I think 'dis was Mai's," Joey announced as he opened the door to her room. The other's peered inside. Yugi walked in first and gasped.

"No way!" he cried, looking at the cards sprawled on the table. "Mai would never leave her Deck." Bakura came in and looked at the cards. He picked up the Mirror Force off the floor.

"She's got one good strategy," he said. "She was about to place this card when she was interrupted. I wonder...what happened?" Téa came in as well.

"Nothing else looks disturbed. There wasn't a real fight." Crimson, Joey, and Tristan walked in.

"No forced entry," Tristan noticed, as he saw the window was still locked and the door was intact. "Whoever came in just let themselves in."

"The door wasn't locked," Crimson said, a hand on the brass knob. "I can somehow tell by just touching it. It was open..."

"Someone must've just walked up to her," Yugi concluded. "But she didn't go willingly. If she did, she would've taken her cards."

"No," Crimson said. She bent low to the floor, running her hand along the smooth carpet. "I feel energy waves. Human type, so no magic sorcerer or anybody was running around. I think about three to five men, yes, about that range, came through here." Crimson crawled over to the table. "Mai sat here, they surrounded her." She fingered a spot on the floor. "Something lay here, yesterday night. Something..."

"Are you serious?" Téa asked. "A few men?"

"Probably those freaks dat side with Pegasus!! Those suits!" Joey yelled.

"I'm not sure," Crimson said. "Wait...a jacket was here."

"WHAT! THEY TOOK OFF HER..."

"Calm down, Joey," Crimson assured him. "I doubt that they...I mean, it was picked up soon after."

"If they did anything to Mai..."

"Relax. I think I've gotten all the clues. Let's go to Bandit's room!"

Yugi and Crimson were the first to enter Bandit's room. Bakura, Tristan, Téa, and Joey soon followed.

"Look, again, no forced entry," Téa noticed.

"But look at dat!" Joey exclaimed, motioning to a pair of overturned boots and a vest. "Aren' dos Bandit's?"

"They are," Crimson said. She fingered the air as if it was a strand of ribbon. "I feel a gun." Everyone panicked and started to look around. "I meant last night."

"In that case, those two might have been threatened to leave," Yugi mused. "Maybe they were kicked off the island cause they cheated."

"Mai certainly did, and Bandit...what he did was bad enough. Maybe all of this is really nothing dangerous at all." They looked around.

"This is too weird to be a normal disqualification," Crimson stated. "Something is afoot. I mean, ya'll are forgetting the possessions they left behind."

"Right," Bakura said. "Let's check the rest of the castle."

* * *

Mai moaned and slowly opened her eyes. As everything came into focus, she realized she was basically on top of Bandit. She let out a yelp and backed away. Her sudden shriek awoke Bandit.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"Nothing, you lazy sloth. Now get up, it's morning." He stretched and sat up straight. He noticed two plates of toast waiting for them.

"Where's the blondie?" he asked. Mai looked around.

"Joey?" she called. "Are you here?" The cell only echoed her call.

"Strange."

"I thought they would bring Joey to the cell. He is also one of the finalists."

"Maybe they forgot."

"Fat chance," Mai scoffed. "And I don't think they were frightened off by him either. I wonder what happened..."

"Well, Miss I-Had-A-Good-Plan, how are we gonna get out now?"

"Shut up and let me think!"

* * *

"Let's try your room next, Joey!" Crimson suggested as she raced across the hallway, followed by her friends. She threw open the door and looked around.

"I don' get it, why d'ya wanna look through my room?" Joey asked.

"If you didn't notice, Mai and Bandit were both finalists. And so are you! That means it could have been connected. Maybe they came in here..."

"Good point," Yugi said.

"Then why didn' 'day get me?" Joey queried.

"Maybe cause you managed to fight them off in your sleep?" Téa teased. Joey scowled at her. Crimson bent to the ground and traced the floor, her hair almost touching it.

"They were here!" she gasped. The others looked at her. "At least three, they came a few steps in, and apparently went right back out."

"You're lucky," Tristan said.

"I have a feeling it's more than luck..." Bakura trailed off.

"It probably is," Crimson finished. "Something is really afoot."

"Let's search the rest of the castle," Téa said. Crimson nodded and the six ran out of the room.

They searched every nook and cranny of the castle. Crimson tried to follow the energy presence waves but there were too many. They explored the top three floors with all its bedrooms, the dining hall, the galleries, and the Duel Platform. Finally, they approached a door they hadn't seen before.

"What do you think is in there?" Yugi asked. Crimson twirled a loose strand of her black hair.

"I don't like it," she said.

"Maybe Pegasus is keeping them in there," Tristan said. The six looked at the door. "The question is, where does it lead?"

"Ah, come on! Ya'll aren' scared of a door, are ya?" Joey teased as he grasped the knob. "I mean, what 'arm can it do?"

"Joey, I wouldn't open it if-," Too late. Joey grasped the doorknob and pulled it open. Everyone braced themselves for the worst...

The door was an entryway into a long, black corridor. Everyone sighed with relief.

"We were some fools," Crimson said. "After all, what could he have hid in there? A monster?" The others laughed nervously and looked at Crimson.

"Are we going to go in?" Bakura asked.

"We have to if we want to find Mai and Bandit Keith," Tristan stated. The others shrugged and they entered.

As they groped their way along, Crimson tried to imagine where the corridor might lead. She was sure it was probably some pathway to a dungeon because of the stone walls and narrow space. After a few minutes, the gang came to a turn. The corridor to the left had a few dim lamps lit, and it looked a bit more inviting. The six teenagers chose that route. As they got farther along, more and more tunnels began to branch off. Each one took turns choosing a path. Some lead to halls filled with prison cells. None of them were occupied.

"This is getting nowhere fast," Téa complained.

"We might be lost forever, we gotta get out," Crimson said. They turned around to head back.

"Anyone mark the way we came?" Tristan asked.

"I remember some of the turns we took," Yugi said. "But not all of them. I think we're lost!"

"Don' panic!" Joey advised. "There's gotta be a way outta here!"

"How about this way?" Bakura suggested, pointing down a pathway that was a bit brighter. The gang followed him. They ran along another cell-lined hallway. They made a right turn just as they heard a yell behind them.

"YUGI! JOEY!" The six turned around.

"Okay, now I'm freaked," Téa admitted.

"That sounded like Mai!" Yugi cried. "Come on!" He took off with four of the others. Before turning the corner, he stopped. He realized Crimson had not joined him.

"Crimson?" he asked. She was standing right where they had been a moment ago. Her face wore a worried expression. Slowly, she raised her hand and pointed to the cell in front of her.

* * *

"How long do you think it'll take for them to finish the finals?" Mai asked. Bandit smirked.

"Given up on finding a way out?" he sneered. Mai scowled.

"No! I just wanted to-," she stopped. She scooted over to the cell bars.

"What the-,"

"Shush!" She pressed her face against the bars as far as it could go. She strained to hear the voices.

"How about this way?" a voice said in the dark with a British accent.

"It's them!" Bandit also came over to the bars.

"Who?" Just then, six people raced across the hallway. They passed the cell Mai and Bandit were in and took a right turn.

"YUGI! JOEY!" Mai cried. She heard the footsteps stop. They had heard.

* * *

"What is it?" Yugi asked as he rushed over to Crimson's side. He looked inside the cell and gasped. Inside sat Mokuba, all covered in bruises.

"It's Kaiba's brother!" Téa exclaimed. "Oh, we have to get him out!"

"How?" Bakura asked. Tristan stepped up to the bars and tried pulling on them.

"I had a feeling that it wouldn't work."

"You guys, look at the bars more closely," Crimson instructed. "You see how the bars extend from the inside of the floor to the inside of the ceiling. Well, this keypad on the wall allows you to retract those smaller bars. Then the cage slides open. The problem is, one of the bars on the bottom is attached to an alarm. If the connection between that bar and the switch in the floor is lost, then the siren will sound."

"Only one?" Joey asked. "Then we still have a chance of choosin' the right one!"

"To do what?" Yugi asked.

"You guys choose a bar, and I'll melt it," Crimson said. Everyone gave her The Look. "Don't worry, it'll be okay!"

"If you say so..." Yugi stared at the bars. Finally he pointed to the middle one. Crimson nodded and her Anklet glowed furiously. The steel bar began to turn red...orange...yellow...until it melted, leaving a gap big enough for one person to go through.

"I'll go in!" Crimson squeezed through and went to Mokuba's side. In the same manner, she melted the locks on his hands and feet. Then, she picked him up and handed him through the bars.

"Mokuba! Wake up! It's us!" Yugi cried. The raven-haired boy gave no response.

"It's okay," Bakura said. "We can wake him up when we get back to the room."

"Let's go get Mai and Bandit!" Joey said. "Well, I'd ratha' leave Bandit Keith in the cell where he belongs!" The six, plus Mokuba in Tristan's arms, raced back to the hallway where they had heard the pair yell.

"Mai!" Joey cried as he reached the cell.

"Joey! You guys!" Mai exclaimed. The others flocked around the cell.

"What happened?" Yugi queried.

"Ask later," Crimson said. She gripped the middle bar. "I've got work to do."

"What's going to happen?" Mai asked.

"You'll see, Mai, watch! This is so cool!" Joey said. Crimson smiled and her Anklet's power flowed through her. The bar turned different shades of red and yellow before finally melting. Unfortunately, this time it didn't go as planned.

Bright lights. A screeching siren.

The eight friends gasped. The alarm started to flash on and off and the siren grew louder.

"Oh no!" Crimson cried. "What are we going to do?"

* * *

Pegasus leaned back on the chair in his private room. The sun's rays were dancing on his bed.

"I wonder what my little Duelists are up to," he thought. He sipped his cool lemonade. "They better not have gotten into trouble." Just as he said that, the mini siren in his room went off. He spit out his lemonade in surprise and rushed to the intercom.

"Croquet! What is going on?" On the other side, a nervous Croquet stuttered.

"Come...come qui-quickly sire!" Pegasus shook his head and dashed out of his room.

A minute later he was at the security room. Three security men were trying to check every room with their camera televisions.

"The dungeons! You fool!" Pegasus barked. Immediately, the closest officer switched to Mokuba's cell. Pegasus's face went white as he saw the bars melted on the floor and the cell empty.

"Guards, down to the cell immediately!"

* * *

"Run!" Mai instructed.

"No!" Joey said. "Come through the bars!" The others nervously looked from side to side. The alarm was still ringing its head off and kept flashing white and red throughout the dark halls.

"There isn't enough time!" Mai argued. "Now go before they catch you too! Or else, we won't even have a chance!" Joey wanted to say something but Crimson pulled his collar.

"She's right, Joey! Run!" The six took off down the hallway, Joey a little reluctantly. They let their feet guide them. At full sprint, they didn't stop until they were out of the hallway and into the large corridor of the castle that was fully furnished and lighted.

"That," Crimson said, "was close!"


	7. Escape!

Chapter 7 - Escape!

The gang rushed to Crimson's room as fast as possible. Once they were in there, they locked the door and put a table in front of it. Breathing heavily, they all fell back on the floor.

"That was close!" Crimson said again. "But I wish we could have gotten Mai and Bandit out!"

"We'll go back again when we get the chance," Yugi said. "But right now, we have Mokuba, and that's a good start." Tristan set Mokuba down on the couch. The boy seemed to stare out into space as if he couldn't do anything else.

"Mokuba!" Téa cried. "It's us! Remember?" The raven-haired boy kept staring out into space. "Mokuba!"

"They must have done something horrible to him!" Bakura said. "No wonder Seto Kaiba seemed almost willing to do anything to win. Maybe, if given the chance, he would have cheated."

"What did 'dos suits do?" Joey demanded. "Poor Mokuba." Crimson sighed and touched Mokuba's hand. Almost immediately, she yelped and ran back a few steps.

"What's wrong?" Téa asked.

"He's cold! Ice cold!" The gang gasped and looked back at Mokuba.

"Why would he..."

"That can mean only one thing," Crimson said. "They've taken his Soul too."

* * *

"Come on! We've no time to lose!" Croquet shouted to the nine guards who were following him. They raced through the dungeons. They had long since memorized every single twist and turn, every possible route, every dead end. These mazes were like child's play to them. 

The ten guards made one final turn into the hallway where Mokuba's cell was. Indeed, his stuck out like a parrot in a worm jar. The middle bar had completely vanished, and the surrounding ones looked half melted. The chains inside had also been melted, each now deformed and twisted into eerie shapes.

"What..._thing_ could have made such a mess?" one of the guards asked. Croquet studied the bars more closely. He touched it and pulled back with a hiss.

"It feels like the bar is moving under my touch, as if there's a layer of something over it!" The other guards looked uneasily around each other.

"We must inform Master Pegasus about this," one of them said. Croquet nodded.

"Shouldn't we check on the other two?" the first guard said.

"Oh yes! We must make sure they are still there." The ten guards rushed off to the cell. In a few moments, they had reached it.

* * *

"Why don't we make our getaway now?" Bandit asked Mai. She glared at him.

"You heard the sirens. If we go now, they'll catch us for sure. I have another plan if you just let me speak."

"It might take them a few more minutes to come! We could be outta here and-,"

"Shush! I hear footsteps!" Mai and Bandit retreated to the very corner of the cell. Ten guards rushed into the scene. They gasped when they saw the bars.

"Why happened?" Croquet demanded. "Speak!"

"It...was...terrible!" Mai stuttered. "A monster! It...melted the bars...and we couldn't escape! It was in the process of...eating something...it looked like...like a boy!" The guards gasped.

"We must inform Master Pegasus about this immediately," Croquet said. The guards rushed off. When their footsteps had finally faded away, Bandit and Mai managed a small chuckle.

"I can't believe they actually believed that!" Mai giggled. "Now, we are free." She squeezed through the bars. Bandit, somehow, managed to follow her. They raced off the way they remembered the guards had gone.

* * *

"Taken his Soul?" Yugi gasped. "Then...it's just like my grandpa!"

"Pegasus doesn't even show mercy for children," Téa said. "It must be terrible to have such an experience when you are so young."

"No wonder Kaiba was so desperate!" Bakura stated. "He would have nothing else if his brother was gone. It would almost drive someone like him mad, even to his death." Crimson gasped.

"Then we have to find him!"

"What's the point?" Téa asked. "There's no way to help Mokuba. Pegasus is the only one who can free him, and we can't ask him."

"There are other ways," Crimson replied. "More dangerous, but certainly can be done. We'd all have to travel to the Shadow Realm and..." she trailed off as she noticed everyone's nervous faces. "That's the only way, it seems."

"You're right," Bakura said. "If we want to rescue Mokuba's Soul, we have to free it from the place where it is imprisoned."

"Can we also save Grandpa that way?" Yugi asked.

"Definitely. But first we have to get out of here. Duelist Kingdom is a dangerous place for us now." Everyone nodded. Joey suddenly leaped to his feet.

"I just remembered somethin'!" he cried. "I'm Duelin' in dis tournament for money for my sister's eye operation. How else can we get it?"

"Maybe if we rescue Kaiba's brother, he'd give us the money," Tristan joked.

"Not funny!"

"Don't worry, Joey," Crimson assured him. "I'm sure Mystical Elf wouldn't mind giving another favor. That's what she does best. But maybe I better use Lady of Faith this time instead..."

"It's so cool that you can summon monsters to real life," Téa said. "I wish I had powers like yours."

"It's true," Crimson agreed. "I might have powers like Invisibility, Levitation, Teleportation, the ability to free and capture Souls, and even bring Duel monsters to life, but one of the downsides to that is that my Item is sometimes too powerful! It can overwhelm me very easily. I have to be extra careful."

"That's somewhat like my Puzzle," Yugi said.

"So now that that's all settled," Bakura said. "Let's get out of here!" They got up, and Tristan took Mokuba into his arms. Just as they were about to move the table to leave, a knock pounded on the door.

* * *

The ten guards reported back to Pegasus's security room. He was staring at all the computer monitors, trying to figure out what happened.

"Pegasus, sir!" Croquet called. The owner of Duelist Kingdom headed toward him. "I have some terrible news!" Pegasus immediately frowned.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"Well..." Croquet replied. "We went to see Mokuba's cell and found that everything was melted. The same at Mai and Bandit's cell too. They told us that a monster had come through melting the bars, and it ate Mokuba!" Pegasus was furious.

"_And you believed it?_" he roared. "Tell me, Croquet, why is it that I still keep you in my department?" Croquet shuddered nervously.

"Well, the bars seemed to still be alive. It was as if the bar was moving under my touch."

"Fools!" Pegasus grimaced. He knew only one thing could make the bars vibrate like that. Millennium Item magic!

"What should we do, Master?"

"Go to the finalists' rooms immediately! Find the group of teenagers and bring them to me! Go!" The guards rushed off without wasting a second in leaving.

"And just in case they fail..." Pegasus's Millennium Eye glowed. "I will have another way to get those meddlesome fools!"

* * *

"Oh no!" Yugi whispered. "They found us!" The gang bunched up together.

"What are we going to do?" Téa cried. "There's no escape!"

"We know you're in there!" came a muffled voice from outside the room. Crimson felt her Anklet vibrate. It was screaming out to be used.

"I sense something!" Bakura noted. "From the window." Crimson also felt the strange energy waves. Her Anklet glowed furiously and tugged at her to go to the window. She obeyed,and threw it open.

"What is it?" Joey asked. At first, Crimson saw nothing. But soon, twisted vines started to crawl up the side of the castle. They seemed liquid, yet solid, in a color of the shadows that creep in the dark. Crimson screamed and shut the window.

"What?" Tristan queried.

"We're trapped!" Crimson said. The gang looked behind them to see the Shadow vines creeping up the glass.

"What are we going to do??" Yugi asked. Crimson shrugged. Suddenly, a glass broke. The vines shot into the room.

"Run!" They scattered throughout the room. The vines felt their way into every nook and cranny, sniffing and sneaking. They were like black twisted snakes, trying to catch their prey. Meanwhile, the knocks and poundings on the door grew louder.

"We're dead!" Tristan moaned.

"No!" Crimson yelled. "You guys, come here quick!" The others leaped over the vines as quickly as possible. Once they were all gathered around her, Crimson harnessed the power of her Anklet.

"Everyone, think of the hallway outside!" They closed their eyes and obeyed, and in a white flash they disappeared.

* * *

"This way!" Mai called as she and Bandit finally made it out of the dark corridors and into the bright hallway. They stopped to catch their breath when Bandit noticed a group of black, moving vines slinking down the gallery banister.

"I don't think we should stop..." he warned. Mai looked up and saw the vines.

"What are those?" she asked, a bit too loudly. The vines suddenly lifted and pointed in their direction. In one fluid moment, they shot after the pair.

"Run!" Frantically, the duo rushed off down the hallway. Behind them, the vines slithered after them at an amazing speed.

"Which...way is the exit?" Mai yelled while running.

"I am totally...disoriented!" Bandit answered, trying to run faster. They blindly rushed into any hallway they found. Miraculously, it led them right to the exit. They threw open the doors and closed it behind them. Leaning on it, they sighed with relief.

"Why, that was close," Mai remarked. "One more second and... ah!" The black vines had started to seep out of the door and through windows of the nearby rooms.

"Run!" They raced off through the forest.

* * *

"OOF!" The six friends, plus Mokuba, landed out in the hallway. The ten guards, who had been bunched up outside Crimson's door trying to get in, turned around. For a second, all of them stared at each other. Ten guards plus six teenagers on the floor, who were trying to save Mokuba...this could only equal one thing.

"Run!" Crimson yelled. The gang scrambled to their feet and raced off through the hallway. It took a second for the guards to recover from seeing a group of seven people fall out of nowhere into the middle of the hallway. After that, they rushed after the gang.

"We've got to get out!" The gang followed Crimson's lead, snaking around the hallways into random corridors. They finally turned onto the last corridor. They saw the entryway and the huge door. Crimson gasped. It was completely entangled in the mysterious vines.

"Oh no!" she said. The sound alerted the Shadow vines. They immediately turned and made for the six. "_This way_!" she turned into a smaller hallway that had an emergency exit. Behind them, the vines still followed. The guards gaped at the vines before turning around and running away.

"We're out!" Crimson exclaimed. As soon as the last of them had come outside, she shut the door. She could hear the vines crashing into it. She wiped her hands on her shirt. "That's done with." As soon as she said that, the vines started to seep through the hinges.

"Uh...run!" The others didn't need to be told twice; they rushed off on her command. They twisted through random paths on the forest. Behind them, the snakelike vines were starting to chase them again.

"I can see the ocean!" Yugi said. "A few more yards!" They ran faster. They turned one last time to mislead the vines.

"Ow!" Crimson bumped into someone. The two fell.

"Watch where you're..." Crimson trailed off. Seto Kaiba stood up and dusted himself. Téa nervously looked behind them. The vines had started to rush after them again.

"Ah, the gang again. What are you freaks...Mokuba?" Seto Kaiba's jaw dropped. "How did you...?"

"No time to explain!" Crimson hurriedly said. She ushered the others to hurry to the coast. "Come with us...hurry!" Crimson grabbed Kaiba's arm and tried to tug him.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. Crimson whipped around. He had never seen her eyes so serious. Well, he hadn't seen her eyes many times to begin with but...wait, maybe he had...they looked so familiar...

"Kaiba!" One sharp tug made him stumble forward. The vines appeared around the corner. His eyes widened when he saw them. "Run!" The pair raced off, the vines at their heels. They turned a corner and found the others waiting for them in the small ferry. The motor was already running.

"Hurry!" Bakura called. The pair jumped and landed into the boat. Joey started the boat forward immediately. They waited until they were several yards away from the shore before looking back. The vines had stopped at the water's edge. They seemed reluctant to come in.

"That," Crimson stated, "was really, _really_ close."

* * *

"Hurry!" Bandit and Mai snaked through the forest. When the came to the shore, they found a ferry waiting for them. One had already left; they could see it in the distance.

"Look!" Bandit whispered. He pointed to retreating vines. "Let's make our getaway now!" The pair climbed into the ferry and started the engine. By the time the vines noticed, Mai and Bandit were already quite a distance away.


	8. Mission Impossible

Chapter 8 - Mission Impossible

"Okay, now someone better explain to me right now what's going on!" Seto Kaiba snapped. Crimson rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Unless you haven't noticed, we were finalists in Duelist Kingdom until they captured Mai and Bandit. We tried to save them and ended up getting Mokuba instead. Then the guards and weird snake stuff chased after us. We found you and we escaped the island. Satisfied?" Kaiba smirked.

"How did you get Mokuba out of his cell?"

"I melted the bars."

"Melted?"

"Melted." Kaiba glared at her suspiciously for a moment. Finally, he made a satisfied sound and went off to see Mokuba. Crimson sat down on a stack of old tires.

"He's such a jerk!" she muttered. Kaiba whipped around. He glared at her with his piercing blue eyes.

"I'd watch my big mouth if I were you," he warned.

"I'm not scared!"

"Perhaps it's because you haven't known me for long."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

"I'm warning you."

"Shut up, jerk."

"I'm seriously warning you!"

"Jerk."

"Bianca!" Kaiba opened his mouth once and shut it again. Crimson gave him the dreaded Look. Yugi let his gaze wander across the both of them. He remembered the name, in his dream. The others stared at Kaiba with wary expressions, and then glanced at Crimson. The boat grew still and quiet.

"Now that's just scary," Crimson stated. Crimson and Kaiba glared at each other.

"Hey look! Domino Harbor!" Joey shouted. The spell of silence was broken. Téa and Tristan rushed to Joey's side to look at the view. Yugi sighed with relief and headed off to get Mokuba. Bakura patted Crimson on the shoulder and went off to help steer. Crimson watched the others. She jumped off the tires to go help them. Kaiba just stared at her the whole time.

Half an hour later, the eight were safe as they could be inside Yugi's house. To Téa, Joey, Yugi, and Tristan, the house felt empty without the presence of Yugi's grandfather. Crimson and Bakura felt no difference, and Kaiba couldn't tell because he refused to step foot into the house. Instead, he stood inside the first floor game shop.

"Do you want something to drink?" Yugi asked Kaiba politely. Kaiba only grunted in response. Téa came up to Yugi.

"Is that a yes?" she whispered. Kaiba crossed his arms and leaned up against one of the counters.

"Take it as a no. It won't hurt if he dies from thirst," Crimson said sourly. She glanced in Kaiba's direction. He glared back. Téa and Yugi smiled nervously as they edged away from the battle scene.

"What's your problem anyway?" Kaiba asked.

"You!" Crimson said, as if it was obvious, which it was. "Why can't you act nice for today?"

"Why should I?"

"Because...I don't know! Maybe cause it might actually prove you're human and not some pre-programmed computer!" Kaiba smirked.

"What makes you say that?"

"Ugh! Kaiba! Your brother has been robbed of a soul and all you can do is hate everyone! Including me! I saved your life and you hate me!"

"What do you want? You want me to fall in love with you? Why bother with a useless fool like you?" Crimson flushed red. Bakura, Yugi, Tristan, Téa, and Joey all huddled at the entrance to the game shop to watch the argument.

"I can save your brother, Kaiba. But apparently, he doesn't matter to you anymore!" Crimson spun on her heels and stomped back to the kitchen. Kaiba looked at her for a second as if deciding what to do. With a sigh, he walked after her.

"How?" he asked. Crimson stared at him for a moment. The five others stood in the doorway, watching Kaiba and Crimson stare at each other. They waited for at least five minutes.

"I have ways," Crimson finally responded. The microwave suddenly made a loud ring, which startled everyone. "Hot chocolate, anyone?"

* * *

A few minutes later, everyone was seated in the living room sipping hot chocolate. Even Kaiba seemed hungry enough to join them. Crimson smiled as she watched him take a sip. He put down the cup and glared at her.

"What was that for?" he asked. Everyone turned to stare at him. Crimson's smiled slowly vanished.

"Uh..." she didn't want to admit the true reason, that she thought he looked strangely familiar, and cute, as he sipped his drink. "Um...you don't look so evil and computer-programmed when you drink."

"What do I look like?"

"You look cute." Joey choked on his drink while Tristan spluttered his mouthful. Téa, Yugi, and Bakura looked at each other. Crimson shook her head. "Er... I mean, I mean...in contrast to your usual self...not like the real cute...just a contrast..." Kaiba smirked slightly at her before taking another drink. This made Crimson blush red.

"Anyway," she said. "Moving on! Yugi, you told me that your grandfather's Soul was also taken. How?" Crimson tried to avoid Kaiba's glance.

"Well," Yugi started, trying not to grin. His subject was nothing to grin about, but the way he saw that Crimson was obviously trying to avoid Kaiba's gaze was funny. "It was a while back, perhaps two weeks ago. My friends, Téa, Joey, and Tristan, and I were here in this very same room, watching a Duel Monsters Tournament. Then Grandpa bought in a package."

"Oh yeah, I rememba' dat! I fell afta' tryin' to hug him," Joey exclaimed. "Ova' the back of the couch."

"That was funny," Téa remarked.

"Anyway," Yugi continued. "Inside the package was a Dueling glove, star chips, and a video tape."

"At first," Tristan said, "we didn't know what to expect. Yugi put the video into the VCR. At first, it was a normal tape with Maximillion Pegasus talking to us."

"Yeah, then somethin' freaky happened!" Joey exclaimed. "The TV sucked Yug' in and we all were frozen!"

"Millennium Items!" Crimson said. "I knew it!"

"Pegasus pulled me into the Shadow Realm and we Dueled. It was a timed fifteen-minute Duel and whoever had the highest Life Points at the end of the time limit won. At the last minute, Pegasus used a special card and my life points went down lower than his. The buzzer went off. That's when Pegasus said I had to compete in his newest tournament. To make sure I obeyed, he took Grandpa's Soul."

"Yeah," Téa said. "When we were finally able to move again, all we saw was Yugi's grandpa lying on a chair and Yugi furiously shaking the TV."

"I see," Crimson said. "I bet he was after your puzzle."

"Most likely," Yugi said. Crimson took a deep breath and looked over at Kaiba.

"How about you?"

"Me?"

"Mokuba." Kaiba looked over at his brother's soulless body, staring out into the ceiling. He turned back and looked at his chocolate.

"It's a long story," he said.

"I'd like to hear it," Crimson said in a comforting voice. Everyone gave her the Look. Crimson decided to change her tone. "I mean...I need to hear it; I don't care how long it is."

"Well, it kind of goes back to my childhood days. It's more of personal matter, really. But one thing was that Pegasus and I were friends."

"Hmf! Nice long lasting friendship you had going there."

"Pegasus only wanted my company, and I'm not talking friend-wise. He wanted Kaiba Corp. After turning my corporate officers against me, he kidnapped my brother. My company bylaws say that only a living Kaiba heir may rule the company. When Pegasus got my brother and I was out of the way, he could take over the company."

"Why? Why did he want Kaiba Corp.?"

"Probably so he could own the biggest companies in the whole game," Bakura suggested. "After all, Duel Monsters wise, Industrial Illusions makes the card game and Kaiba Corp. makes the Duel arenas and such."

"We'll never really know for sure," Crimson said. "But we do have to save Mokuba and Yugi's grandfather."

"How?" Kaiba asked.

"We have to travel to the Shadow Realm itself, the seven of us."

"What will we do once we're there?" Bakura asked.

"Well, I'll explain later. We have to somehow find the person in charge of all the Souls. Like a jail keeper, you know. I'm not exactly sure, but we've got to try it."

"That's going to be risky," Yugi said. "The Shadow Realm is a dangerous place. You've got to know exactly what you're doing when you're in there."

"I know that Yugi, but we've got to take a chance. For your grandfather's sake. And Mokuba's."

"I agree," Kaiba said. "We have no other choice."


	9. Journey to the Shadows

Chapter 9 - Journey to the Shadows

"So!" Crimson said triumphantly. "We leave for the Shadow Realm tomorrow. Just make sure that ya'll dress appropriately."

"Why?" Téa asked.

"What do you mean, 'dress appropriately'?" Tristan asked.

"We've got to blend in with the Shadow Realm. What color do y'all think it is? I'll tell you, it's black." As she anticipated, she received groans from her friends. "I know you think it's a boring color, but if you want to survive, I suggest you do as I say and wear everything black. And bring nothing flashy. It's a dangerous place, the Shadows." Crimson yawned.

"So we meet back in Yugi's house tomorrow?" Bakura asked.

"Right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to catch some sleep." The others nodded too and got up. Téa, Tristan, and Joey left first. Bakura watched them, and then headed off to his house. Crimson stayed until she finished washing the cups. She stepped out of the kitchen when she noticed Kaiba leaving with Mokuba in his arms.

"Wait!" she cried. Kaiba stopped and turned around. His cold stare seemed to go right through her. "Y-You can't go back to your mansion. You said that Pegasus needs one of you. He's probably set guards on your mansion."

"Crimson's right," Yugi stated. "Who knows?"

"Then where can I sleep?" Kaiba asked.

"You can sleep with me," Crimson volunteered. Kaiba and Yugi gave her the worst kind of Look the one reserved for special purposes. "Okay, let me rephrase that... you can sleep at my house in a _totally_ different bed in a _totally_ different room. What do you say?" Kaiba thought for a moment.

"I have no other choice." Crimson smiled, but quickly erased it before anyone saw.

* * *

"Is that my bed?"

"No it's mine."

"I know that, Crimson, but where else can I sleep?"

"You want to sleep next to me?"

"I never said you were going to be in the bed with me."

"But we've got no other beds."

"My mansion has at least twenty bedrooms."

"Does it look like we're in your mansion?"

"Then where are you going to sleep?"

"I'm going to sleep in my bed. You can find a place you want to sleep in." Kaiba and Crimson glared at each other. Crimson had hoped the night would be an uneventful one, in which both of them fell asleep without an argument. But as soon as she got home unexpectedly early from a 'camp trip', her parents told her that the spare beds had been sold because they were getting new waterbeds soon.

"Okay, listen, here's the deal. Since we can't figure out who'll sleep in this bed, I've got a better plan. I've got two couches downstairs that can fold out into beds. We'll both have to use those."

"Fine." Crimson went off to change. She came back in a blue silk robe over a pale white nightgown. She ushered Kaiba to the living room. A big maroon leather couch sat right in the middle.

"That one is a stubborn one to pull out," Crimson said. She took off the cushions and tried to pull out the bed, but it wouldn't budge. She turned to Kaiba, who was taking off his trench coat. "Can you help, please?"

"Yeah, whatever." Kaiba finished unbuttoning his shirt. Crimson bit her lip. _Don't take it off, please, or I'll never be able to do anything._

"Stop daydreaming and do your part." Crimson suddenly snapped back to her world. Kaiba had grasped one of the handles, leaning over ready to pull. His unbuttoned shirt fell loosely around his chest.

"I never realized you're so skinny," Crimson remarked. She immediately covered her mouth with her hand. Kaiba smirked and tightened his grip. "Uh...yeah, we should get pulling." They both tugged at the bed. It wouldn't budge. They used all their strength. Crimson couldn't help but yawn. Her eyelids grew heavy with every pull. Kaiba felt the same way. He was using all his energy to pull the bed, and he didn't have much to start with. Finally the bed sprang out, making Crimson lose her balance. She fell on top of Kaiba, who sprawled backwards on the ground.

"So...sleepy..." Crimson's eyes closed. Kaiba couldn't stay awake either. He fell right to sleep, with Crimson lying peacefully on top of his chest.

* * *

Bianca crossed her arms and leaned back. She was inside a huge Ancient Egyptian chamber. Her brother, Atem, had to talk to the High Priest Seth about some 'matters.' Bianca didn't care what it was about; she just wanted to go back to her room. It was boring staring at walls of ancient carvings, partly because she couldn't interpret them. Her attention fell on the High Priest. It was the first time she had seen him. Atem had made sure she was well protected inside the palace. Bianca barely had time to see anything. Atem suddenly walked up to her.

"I have something to check on for a while. It might take a couple of hours." Bianca rolled her eyes. "Stay with Seth until I return." Atem left the scene.

"That's new," Bianca thought. "I know Atem and Seth aren't the best of friends after hearing how my brother speaks of him." Bianca walked over to Seth, who was busy carving something in the wall.

"What are you doing?" Bianca queried. Seth paused a moment, clearly annoyed, before resuming his activity.

"Carving a picture of a Blue-Eyes." Bianca crouched down to watch him work. For a few minutes, he watched his hands. Slowly, however, her eyes found his face.

"Oh my gosh, he's quite good looking!" she thought. Seth kept working. He stopped in the middle. Without even taking his eyes from his work, he spoke to Bianca,

"Will you stop staring at me? It's really annoying and spooky at the same time." Seth continued his work. He heard Bianca mutter something about 'men' before walking off.

"You're Atem's sister, aren't you?" Seth asked. Bianca stopped walking. She tossed some of her pitch-black hair over her shoulder.

"Yes, I'm _Pharaoh_ Atem's," she made sure to put extra emphasis on the Pharaoh part, "sister, Princess Bianca." She stood by the door and resumed her original pose, crossing her arms and leaning back on the wall.

"You can gaze upon my carving, if you wish, but not upon me. It's distracting."

"Then what's the point?" Bianca's jaw dropped as soon as the words left her lips. Seth got up from his crouch and looked at her curiously.

"I did not think I was the object of your interest. How did I catch the eye of one so beautiful as yourself?" Bianca flushed red. Just then, Atem walked in.

"I'm back, Bianca, are you ready to go back?" Bianca rushed to his side.

"Am I ever, this chamber is so...closed up. I find it hard to breathe."

"Is that why your cheeks are red?"

"No, I believe that's another reason which I'm not willing to discuss."

"What? Were you romancing with Set hin there?" Atem teased, poking his little sister in the shoulder. Bianca scowled.

"Very funny."

Over the next few weeks, Bianca found herself actually spending more time watching Seth carve his pictures. Sometimes he wrote words, other times he drew pictures. Yet, Bianca didn't pay too much attention to that. She just liked to watch Seth work. He always had a handsome, determined look on his face.

One time, Seth caught Bianca looking at him. Instead of chasing her off, he smiled and asked her opinion. He asked her for friendship as well, which she gladly accepted. Bianca doubled the time she spent with him, and Atem noticed this. He knew that Seth, even though a High Priest, had some bad qualities he did not want Bianca exposed to. He warned his sister about spending time with Seth, but she just told him he was silly. He figured a little friendship couldn't hurt, so he stopped worrying about the two of them being together.

Seth was in the back of the palace, one morning, out getting some fresh air. He found Bianca playing with a fish in a nearby pond. He sneaked up on her.

"Boo!" Bianca screamed and almost fell into the pond. Luckily, Seth caught her arm and pulled her away from the side of the water. Bianca glared at him.

"You jerk!" she cried.

"I'm sorry! It was an accident."

"You are such a jerk. I hate you!"

"Okay, Bianca. Maybe you should calm down."

"Whatever, jerk."

"Okay, Bianca. Now you're starting to get a little too far. You should watch your tongue. There's no reason to be angry."

"Yeah, whatever, double jerk."

"Now Bianca, I'm warning you."

"I'm not scared of you."

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you."

"I'm not scared!"

"Perhaps it's because you haven't known me too long. It hasn't even been a year."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

"I'm warning you."

"Shut up, jerk."

"I'm seriously warning you!"

"Maybe you should watch _your_ tongue."

"_Bianca_!" Seth slapped her across the face. Bianca stood there, stunned for a moment. Then, she sunk to her knees in tears. Seth realized what he just did.

"Oh, Bianca! I'm so sorry!" He kneeled down next to her and lifted her chin. Tears poured down Bianca's cheeks.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you that." Bianca sobbed into Seth's chest. He wrapped his arms around her.

"I shouldn't have hit you. I'm sorry." Bianca sniffled as she wiped away her tears. She pulled away from his embrace.

"I'm okay." A new tear slid down Bianca's cheek. Softly, Seth kissed it away. His kisses moved down her cheeks and slowly found her lips. Before Bianca knew what she was doing, she found herself kissing him back. She leaned back and Seth pushed her to the ground. Bianca felt like she was in heaven...

"Bianca! What are you doing?" Atem's voice pierced the air. Bianca gasped and sat up...everything went black.

* * *

Crimson gasped and opened her eyes. As her eyes adjusted to the bright light, she found herself lying in the living room. Her vision seemed to move up and down and her ears rung with a weak, drumming noise. For a few minutes, she just lay there confused.

"Maybe I'm sick?" she thought. She heard a moan and something moved under her. Crimson still didn't get it.

"I didn't know a bed could move..." she lifted her head and met Kaiba's face at the same time he groggily opened his eyes and yawned. For a moment, they stared at each other, until...

Crimson screamed shrilly, backing up until she hit the metal edge of the bed. "Ouch!"

"What are you doing, Crimson?" Kaiba demanded, buttoning up his shirt.

"What are you doing?" They glared at each other.

"Honey, is everything all right?" Crimson's mom called. The pair heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"What now?"

"Hide?"

"Where?"

"Behind the bed!" Kaiba hid behind the couch and Crimson quickly arranged herself on top of the bed. Her mother came into view at the bottom of the stairs.

"Is everything okay? I heard you scream and a male voice." Crimson remembered that she hadn't told her mom about Kaiba coming over. She had only brought Mokuba to her mother, and Mokuba was on her bed. Kaiba was not part of the plan. He was too famous.

"Male voice? No mom, you must be imagining things. I had a nightmare, that's all." Crimson's mom scrunched her forehead.

"Whose trench coat is that?" she asked suspiciously, eyeing the coat sprawled on the couch. Crimson gasped silently.

"T-t-trench coat? What trench coat?" Her mother walked toward the garment.

"Crimson!" Kaiba whispered from behind the couch. "That has my company's logo on it!"

"Eek!" Crimson thought. She hurried to the coat before her mother could reach it and bundled it in her arms.

"Oh, _that _trench coat. It's my friend's. Yeah, he left it in my room and I just noticed. Remember?" Her mom shrugged and went back upstairs. Crimson sigh with relief. Kaiba came out from behind the couch once the coast was clear and took his trench coat back.

"I have to go back to my mansion for a few moments. I'm sure they won't notice if not more than five minutes."

"But if they're guarding it, how will you get in?" Kaiba walked over and looked Crimson right in the eyes.

"I have ways," he answered tersely. He put on his trench coat and left the house. Crimson crossed her arms.

"Men!" she muttered. "Now, about that dream..."

* * *

"So, we're all here!" Crimson exclaimed. She eyed Yugi, Joey, Téa, Tristan, Bakura, and Kaiba - him most warily - before going on. As she had instructed, they all wore black clothing. Yugi had worn a black sleeveless tee with navy pants; Joey had worn a black shirt over black jeans, identical to Tristan. Téa had worn a navy skirt and a black tank top, and Bakura had jeans with a black shirt and coat. Kaiba was wearing his normal trench coat attire, except all black. Crimson wore her black flares and a black ribbed turtleneck. Her hair was pulled back with a black ribbon. It fell all the way down to her hips.

"Okay, now, let's go to the portal. I left Mokuba at my house because he'll be safe there."

"One question: where is the portal?" Téa asked.

"In the graveyard of course, let's go." Everyone shifted uneasily but followed Crimson out the door nonetheless. Kaiba was the only one that didn't seem uneasy.

In a matter of minutes, they had reached the long-abandoned graveyard. No one had been buried there for over five years. Crimson led them right to the tallest grave marker. It had no markings at all.

"I hate this graveyard," Kaiba thought. "It brings back memories of my childhood, which I'd easily like to forget." Crimson went up to the marker and tapped on it three times. At first nothing happened, but soon a swirling black vortex opened before them. Lightning flashed across its surface.

"We have to walk through 'dat!?" Joey exclaimed. Crimson nodded.

"I told you, it's the only way..."

"We know...I'll go first," Yugi volunteered. With a deep breath, he stepped through the portal and vanished with a whirl of purple and blue. The others followed suit. Crimson was the last to step in through the shimmering portal. It closed up behind her.

* * *

"Pegasus sir, the kids have escaped the island, as well as the Kaiba brothers," Croquet informed a cranky Pegasus. The owner of Duelist Kingdom sighed.

"It is over then, my efforts have been in vain. Nevertheless, Yugi will somehow come back to save his grandpa. We'll just have to wait till the opportunity comes again for us."

* * *

"So, now that we're on land," Mai said. "We go our own ways." Mai nodded at Bandit before heading toward the street.

"My efforts might have been in vain," she thought, "but at least I'm alive. There are other ways to get rich after all."

"Pegasus," Bandit thought. "You may have escaped this time, but I will make you pay for how you humiliated me. We will meet again!" He headed off in the opposite direction.

* * *

The seven friends found themselves in a graveyard similar to the one they came from. Instead of a bright cheery sky and a slight wind, the graveyard was shrouded in a mysterious dark fog. Everything was dark.

"This graveyard is a mirror image to the one we came from," Crimson said. Everyone looked around.

"It's kind of spooky, isn't it?" Bakura admitted. Yugi nodded. Téa shivered.

"It's cold!" she muttered. Crimson inspected the gravestones.

"We must move on. The Shadow Realm is already a corrupted place. Who knows what will happen if we stay in the graveyard." She led the others down a path. They walked in a tight group just in case anything decided to pop out and scare them. Joey looked around the graveyard. It was very spooky to him. Suddenly, a creak sent him flying into his other friends.

"Did ya hear 'dat?" he whispered. The others stopped and looked around nervously. Another crack alerted Téa's ears. She yelped.

"It's over there!" The others looked to the left at a wide gap bare to the rock. Cracks were forming on it.

"I have a feeling this isn't going to be good!" Tristan said. They watched as the cracks multiplied. A hand emerged from under the ground. Téa shrieked.

"It's gross!" the hand was followed by an arm, followed by a zombie body and head. More emerged from behind it and surrounded the group.

"This isn't good," Crimson said. "This isn't good at all!"


	10. The Tests Begin

Chapter 10 - The Tests Begin!

"We're surrounded!" Téa cried. The gang stood in a circle back-to-back while the zombie monsters laughed around them.

"All I can say is do what your instinct tells you," Crimson said.

"Why?" Kaiba asked.

"Just do it, okay?"

"Well," Tristan said. "My instinct tells me to stay put. Maybe they won't notice us."

"Yeah, righ'," Joey scoffed. "Dat's why they're laughin' at us?"

"I thought we're camouflaged. That's why we were supposed to wear black."

"Wake up, man! We ain't camouflaged!"

"Unless you haven't noticed, Tristan," Crimson informed. "We're wearing black, while the rest of the scenery is gray, purple, and blue. I think we stick out like a soar thumb."

"Besides," Kaiba added. "With all the racket we're making, they're sure to find us."

"Shut up, Kaiba!" Crimson growled.

"You first."

"Argh!" The zombies snickered. "Okay, instinct people."

"Stay calm," Téa reminded. "Maybe we can work something out together if we don't panic." The zombies unsheathed their swords. "Um..." The zombies shrieked. Suddenly, they charged on the gang.

"I summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" A white-scaled dragon roared as it soared into the sky. With one flap of its giant wings, it sent the zombies scurrying for cover.

"What was that, Kaiba?" Crimson asked.

"Instinct, I guess. I don't know exactly. One second I'm seeing zombies flying at me, the next my hand reached automatically for the card in my pocket."

"Well, instinct takes better control in the Shadow Realm. You'll find yourself doing and saying things that you want to keep to yourself, but your instinct wants you to do it."

"Like what you did last night."

"I have completely forgotten what happened." Crimson crossed her arms. Kaiba smirked. The others turned to Yugi.

"What happened last night? I think we left before figuring it out..." Bakura said. Yugi fought back the urge to laugh. A glare from Crimson helped.

"It was nothing..."

"Anyway, one more thing," Crimson said. "Monsters here are REAL, so if you see zombies with swords like that, they can really go through you." Everyone but Kaiba looked around nervously.

"Yeah, right, there's no such thing as real Duel Monsters."

"Of course there is! If magic exists, then so do they!"

"That's the thing. Magic doesn't exist either."

"Yes it does!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"Yes." They continued their banter as the others watched helplessly.

"Will 'day eva' stop?" Joey asked. Yugi shrugged. He kicked at the ground. The others sighed and sat down near the gravestones, watching Kaiba and Crimson argue.

"I told you it does!"

"It doesn't."

"Yes it does."

"Prove it."

"Why do you think we're here?"

"It's a dream, most likely."

"Har, har!" The two glared at each other.

"I wish we had some popcorn," Tristan joked. "Then we can really sit back and enjoy the movie."

"What movie?" Crimson asked. The others looked at each other.

"Oh, nothing...no movie really..."

"That movie?" Kaiba inquired.

"Huh?" The others looked in the direction he was pointing. They saw a small swirling mist by one of the gravestones. It grew larger and larger until it had shrouded the entire graveyard. Ripples formed in the background as the scenery transformed into a forest.

"Great Scott!" Bakura cried. "Look at the forest!" The others murmured in surprise as they found themselves in the clearing surrounded by miles of trees. The sky above was still pitch black, but some unseen light gave them clear sight like an invisible light bulb.

"This is kind of spooky," Téa said.

"I agree," Tristan said. "This is not the place I'd want to be in inside the Shadow Realm or whatnot."

"Whatnot is a funky word," Crimson remarked. Kaiba shook his head.

"You're mental," he replied.

"I am not! You're the totally insane...evil... evil... crazy... I'll- never-laugh...JERK!"

"I've laughed."

"When? In your past life?"

"Yeah, in my Ancient Egypt one."

"You don't have a..." Crimson froze, her mouth dropping open.

"Now that's just scary," she stated. The others looked at them with quizzical expressions.

"Come on guys, it's no time for arguing," Yugi said.

"Yeah, Yug's righ'. Your racket is gonna wake up all the animals 'dat live in 'dis forest!"

"Yeah right!" Crimson scoffed. "What kind of animals would live in the Shadow Realm? Here, let me prove it." Crimson screamed at the top of her lungs and hollered everyone's names. For a few seconds, they waited in silence. "See, no animals live-," Before she could complete her sentence, a loud thump sounded from the depths of the forest.

"You might have spoken too soon," Bakura informed. Crimson eyed the forest. Another thump followed the last one, with another quick follow up. To accompany them, a roar pierced the air.

"I have come to the conclusion that the sound is no longer a normal act of nature," Tristan whispered. More roars followed, with snorts, thumps, and a wide variety of other noises. The gang gathered closer.

"What do you suppose those are?" Bakura queried. The others glanced around nervously. Soon, creatures began to surround the clearing. Amongst the wide array, several stood out quite clearly, including a couple of giant three-headed ants, a mile-long green centipede, and a beetle about the size of a redwood tree. All of them were definitely different from Earth creatures, especially in the number of faces each had.

"Okay, I'm getting something from my instincts here," Téa told the others.

"What is it?" Yugi asked, eyeing the monsters.

"It's telling me to do something."

"What is that?" Crimson queried.

"Run!" The gang followed her command and raced off the opposite direction. The creatures followed with amazing speed.

"Why are you running?" Crimson demanded, looking at Kaiba.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Cause to you, 'monsters aren't real.'"

"So? If I stopped now, you all will leave me behind. And I want to find Mokuba."

"Guys," Tristan interrupted. "If you guys argue, we'll never get out of here."

"Right!" Crimson screeched to a halt and faced the monsters.

"What are you doing?" Téa called, stopping as well.

"I'm not afraid of them!" Crimson announced. The centipede seemed to snicker as it approached her. The ant and other giant sized bug followed, roaring with delight. For a moment, Crimson stood there blankly, trying to comprehend what was going on.

"Guys!" she said. "What am I supposed to do?" The others sighed.

"I don't know!" Yugi replied.

"How about doing what I did earlier?" Kaiba suggested. "With the Blue- Eyes White Dragon, I mean, summoning them to us." Crimson placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side.

"And this is coming from a jerk who thought Duel Monsters weren't real."

"Why am I a jerk if you thought I was cute?" The other five sighed as Crimson and Kaiba glared at each other. Even the mysterious monsters stopped in confusion.

"I was _contrasting_ your usual self. You aren't really cute." _Lie _she thought. _Well, actually it is the truth. After all, he isn't really cute. He's more than that...I should stop thinking like this. Who knows what my instinct might do?_

"If I'm not cute, then what am I?" Just then, Crimson's instinct decided to answer...

"Hot." Crimson blurted out, and then covered her mouth. "Oh my gosh!" She stomped her feet. "I hate instinct!" Kaiba smirked evilly. The others gaped at Crimson, giving her a second degree Look.

"No! Don't give me the evil smirk. And don't give me the Look!"

"Mai would have something to say about this if she were here," Tristan said. Crimson glared at him.

"Anyway!" Crimson continued. "Sure, we can try it." She raised her eyebrows at Kaiba. "If you ever bring this up... my instinct is bad enough in normal life." Kaiba just chuckled. The others noticed it actually wasn't one of his "evil, haughty, I'm cooler than you, and you're a moron" chuckles. It was more of an "I actually enjoyed that, I think I can call you my friend" chuckle.

"Well, it's worth a shot, you try it first," Yugi suggested. Crimson nodded and slipped a card from her pocket.

"Enchanted Javelin!" Her card glowed and a purple staff appeared in her hand.

"I thought you'd summon a monster card," Yugi thought out loud.

"I would, if I had one," Crimson confessed.

"You don' even 'ave a monsta' card!" Joey freaked.

"Calm down! This works fine!" The monsters, seeing their opponent armed, charged. Crimson lashed out with her staff and hit the ant on one of the heads. It staggered back.

"If you say so," Kaiba said. "Sword of Dragon's Fear!"

"Silver Bow and Arrow!"

"Salamandra's Sword!"

"Sword of Dark Destruction."

"Commander's Tools!"

"Sword of Fate!"

Different weapons appeared in the friends' hand. The monsters, seeing the alarming power of the weapons, retreated into the darkness.

"Well, I guess it's over," Crimson said. Her staff disappeared back into the card. The others also returned their weapons. "It was just a test to see if we could survive in the Shadows." The scenery changed into a black empty space as far as the eye could see. They were clearly all standing on the ground, but it seemed like they were floating in the middle of black nowhere.

"So, what now?" Bakura asked.

"I suppose that we walk forward or whatever until something else comes up," Crimson reasoned. "I mean, the Shadow Realm is a freaky place. And apparently, we're not going to get to the Shadow Castle without a few more tests."


	11. On the Dance Floor

Chapter 11 - On the Dance Floor

The gang - Yugi, Téa, Tristan, Joey, Bakura, Kaiba, and Crimson - had been walking forward for quite some time. It was very different from walking in the real world. For one thing, everything was pitch black. It felt like they were floating in the middle of space. Another was that there was no road. So walking forward could have been counted as walking up, down, left, or right. There was no way to make sure they were walking straight.

"This is getting really tiring," Téa murmured. Joey and Tristan nodded.

"We coube walkin' in circles for all we know!" Joey complained. Crimson crossed her arms.

"Come on, guys. We just have to keep going until the next challenge comes."

"Maybe we should talk to pass the time," Yugi said.

"About what?"

"Well, Crimson, there have been a few things I wanted to know." Yugi looked up at her. "When did you get your Anklet? I don't think I ever asked."

"Well, I think it was six or seven months ago. It was the worst time of my life."

"Why?"

"Well, the Anklet was too strong for me at first. You know what I did back at Duelist Kingdom. The same thing happened to a larger extent." Crimson took out a small crystal from her pocket and began to twirl it. _Royhaun..._

"Like what?" Tristan inquired. Crimson realized the others were just as intent on listening as Yugi, even Kaiba.

"Well...I set a street of houses on fire and killed over thirty people... I caused earthquakes..." she stopped and the others turned to give her the Look. "I'm serious. I did kill those people. Plus, I evaporated a lake and made the three children in it disappear." The Looks intensified. "It's nothing I'm proud of."

"I can imagine," Kaiba said. "What kind of person would be proud of murder?"

"I didn't murder anybody!" Crimson protested. She was especially touchy on this matter. "The fire got outta hand, that's all." Kaiba smirked and Crimson felt the urge to cry. She hated when whomever she told about this matter, if they actually believed it like her friends in school, would call her a murderer. Crossing her arms, she walked faster to leave her friends. The gang followed, but only for a while. Soon, the others stopped, but Crimson didn't notice as she kept on walking.

"Crimson!" Yugi called.

"What?"

"You might want to stop." Crimson obeyed, turning around. She realized how far she had gotten from her friends. They were all staring out into space.

"You guys?" she asked, rushing toward them. "What's up?" Téa lifted her hand and pointed in the distance. Crimson squinted to see what they were pointing at. If anything was there, she would be able to see it quite easily, thanks to the fact that everything else would be black.

"I think I see something," Crimson exclaimed. In the distance, she could see small squares of different colors. They seemed to be multiplying.

"Should we run, or should we stay?" Tristan asked. Crimson thought for a moment. The squares got closer and closer. Suddenly, with a huge explosion, the gang was tossed into the air. With a yelling fit, they landed back on a tile floor. Square tiles in every color of the rainbow stretched to either side for as far as the eye could see.

"Maybe we should have gotten away when we had the chance," Bakura stated. The others groaned as they got to their feet.

"This must be another test," Téa said.

"Well, what is it about?" Kaiba asked impatiently. "A tile floor doesn't impose such a threat as is needed for a challenge." Crimson sighed.

"Maybe we already know the rules..." she suggested. "Maybe it's in our instincts."

"Again with your instinct magic stuff," Kaiba scoffed. "As far as I'm concerned, this all a big joke. Do you mind if we just get back Mokuba?" Crimson glared at him.

"Again with your arguing? As far as _I'm_ concerned, this is another test. Do you mind just shutting up and doing what I say?"

"I'm impressed. You managed to memorize part of what I said and twist it into your own words."

"I'm impressed. You managed to ignore what I said again and kept mumbling on."

"Really, now, Crimson. You're pathetic attempt to annoy me is quite amusing."

"Really, now, Kaiba. You're pathetic attempt to annoy me with you're weird professional speech and expect me to reply is quite amusing."

"I'm not expecting you to reply, you just did."

"I'm not expecting you to keep talking, you just did." The gang sweat-dropped.

"Shaddup!" Joey finally got involved. "We'll get nowhere if you two keep on yakkin' all day."

"Joey's right," Yugi said. "This is definitely some sort of a puzzle, and with you two arguing, we'll never solve it." Crimson sighed as she tossed her hair back over her shoulder.

"Whatever." The others in the gang glanced at each other with relieved smiles. Tristan and Joey whispered to each other concerning what the test was about. Kaiba was still amused at Crimson's arguing and just stood watching her with a smirk. Bakura suggested some things to Yugi, who just nodded thinking deeply. Téa studied the floor. Suddenly, it sparked something in her memory.

"Hey! I remember seeing this before!" she exclaimed. The others hurried over to where she was standing. "I knew it looked familiar! This resembles the floor in the dance academy I go to during the summer."

"Dance academy?" Crimson queried. "So this is a dance floor?"

"Exactly. My teacher made the floor in different colored tiles. The steps were coordinated so that they repeated in a pattern. There was one move per color. You knew which move to make by stepping on the color the teacher called out. That was the way we learned. Most songs had a specific color pattern. The last one I learned, the pattern was red, blue, green, yellow, orange, and purple. I had to step on each square to move in the right direction, and do the steps associated with them." By the time she finished talking, the other were giving her The Look.

"So, we're supposed to dance our way across the test?" Tristan demanded. "How crazy is that?"

"Well," Crimson replied. "I don't think that's necessarily it. It's just that we have to go across the squares in the color pattern. Don't you see... the blue squares only have one connected green square... the orange have only one connected purple square. That means, we have to walk across them in the same exact pattern."

"That's a very challenging test," Kaiba said sarcastically. Crimson glared at him for the umpteenth time. If they had any hopes of becoming friends, it wasn't going to be soon.

"Maybe, Seto Kaiba, half the test might be to see if we could calmly figure out what to do and do it." Her voice had an icy tone to it. The others clearly could tell the grudge between her and Kaiba wasn't going to go soon. Kaiba glared back at her.

"So, let's get started then," Téa said. As soon as the words left her lips, the seven nearest red squares lit up. "I suppose we're supposed to step on them." The gang looked at each other with disbelieving glances before choosing a red square to step on. Of course, seeing the conflict between Kaiba and Crimson, even this couldn't be done easily.

"I was here first, Kaiba!" Crimson growled. Both she and Kaiba had one foot each on the same red square.

"You're being so immature. Who cares which red square we get?"

"Then get off of this one!"

"No...this is the nearest of all the other red squares. If I get going on another, I might lose the rest of you. Besides, the way you talk, you know this place left and right."

"I don't. Besides, you're the one who likes to be alone anyway. What's wrong with being ten paces away from the gang?"

"Twenty."

"Who cares? Get off my square."

"I'm not doing any more walking than I need to."

"Lazy bastard."

"Exactly."

"You know...you're not supposed to agree if someone insults you."

"I've been insulted too many times to care."

"I see."

"So, if you don't mind, get off the square."

"Fat chance." The two glared at each other. The others sighed.

"Come on you two!" Tristan said. "Stop arguing. Do you want to get out of this world or not? Jeez."

"It's his fault," Crimson argued, pointing at Kaiba.

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Just one of you go to the other square and get it over with." Kaiba rolled his eyes, but surprisingly he was the one who gave in. As soon as he stepped onto his square, the red ones they were all standing on glowed. Then, the whole scene became darker.

"Oh no!" Téa cried. "It's hard to tell which color was which."

"I knew it would be harder than just walking," Kaiba said.

"Come on guys," Crimson said. "From now on, any false move could be catastrophic." The others nodded and tried to figure out the next color.

"Hm..." Tristan thought aloud. "The next color is blue right? Well, these two squares look blue, even though I know one's purple. Which one?" The others were having the same issue. Except for Kaiba, who seemed to be able to figure out the colors.

"Are you having any trouble, Crimson?" he taunted. Crimson was already half mad.

"Shut up!" Crimson had an urge to walk over and punch him. She was about to take a step forward when Yugi cried out,

"Crimson! Stop! You're about to step on green!" Out of surprise, Crimson stepped back too quickly, losing her balance. Tristan was almost right behind her. Out of instinct he stepped forward to catch her, stepping onto an orange square. He helped Crimson back onto her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Crimson nodded. Before anything else could happen, the orange square underneath Tristan glowed. The area surrounding him vanished and a hole opened up, revealing a lava pit. Tristan shouted out as he fell into it.

"Tristan!" Yugi and Joey cried together. Before Crimson could do anything, the empty space closed up again.

"Oh my gosh! What just happened?"


	12. More Dreams

Chapter 12 - More Dreams

"What the heck happened?" Crimson demanded.

"I don't know!" Téa cried. She tried to take a step forward to go to Tristan's vacant square, but Yugi stopped her.

"Don't!" he warned. "The game is still on! We still need to get across the floor." Téa looked back at the empty square, sending shivers down her spine as she recollected what happened to Tristan.

"I can't believe it!" Crimson gasped. "That would have been me! If I had fallen, I would have landed on that square! But now, it's Tristan!"

"Listen, let's not get too emotional," Kaiba suggested, his voice sounding cold.

"What do you care?" Crimson sputtered angrily, turning to Kaiba. "You're stone! You wouldn't care if someone murdered half the country and said it was your fault, especially if you know that in some twisted way it is!!!"

"That doesn't apply to you, really, either," Kaiba said.

"Of course it does!" Crimson fought back. "I've murdered thirty people! Kaiba, it was my fault! Mine! I'm the only one responsible for my own Anklet! It was my fault! I'm the murderer, and there's no denying it!" If it were any other girl, they would have surely ended up sobbing hysterically by now. Crimson, however, was just plain angry.

"Maybe we should just concentrate on getting out of this," Bakura stated. "Let's worry about Tristan as soon as we're out of the frying pan cause we don't want to get into fire now." Crimson crossed her arms.

The rest of the hour was silent as the six now made their way across the squares. Kaiba was first to reach ground that was as black as the rest of the surroundings. He waited impatiently as the others made their way. Most of them were quite far behind. Finally, they all reached where he was. Kaiba yawned and gave them a simply nod of annoyance.

"So, now 'dat wer'all 'ere, what now?" Joey asked. Crimson shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. The others shrugged themselves, yawning.

"I'm so sleepy!" Téa said, yawning.

"I'm not surprised," Crimson said. "The Shadow Realm slowly draws your energy away. I would be very surprised if you weren't."

"Shouldn't we rest then?" Bakura queried. "Being in the Shadow Realm without energy can significantly reduce your chances of coming out alive."

"Good point," Crimson remarked. "Of course, we won't gain too much energy by sleeping, cause the Shadow Realm can also feed off your dreams and stuff, but it's worth a shot."

After a few minutes, they had all settled down for the nap. It was easy, since every single space looked like every other space. Soon, they had all fallen asleep, even Joey, who was supposed to be watching for any new dangers. Yugi was also supposed to watch, but he quickly fell asleep shortly after Joey.

* * *

"She's gone again," a servant reported to Pharaoh Atem. Atem sighed as he turned and faced the window, looking out at the garden.

"That's the third time this week," he noted. "I think she's taken too much of a liking to High Priest Seth."

"What do you wish to do about it?" the servant asked.

"I don't know," Atem said. "I mean, a normal friendship is already too much. Seth is...Seth has some bad qualities. More than a day per month with his qualities is too much, but nowadays she disappears without a note. I know that she's meeting him somewhere." The servant nodded. Atem dismissed him and turned back to the window.

"I'm nervous," he thought. "Maybe I shouldn't be, but I have a feeling, a feeling that something is going to happen to Bianca that I'll regret forever." Atem left the window and walked around his chamber.

"I mean, a few days is enough, but mysterious disappearances? I have to do something to make sure that Bianca stays indoors most of the time. I don't want her to go off anywhere, especially with Seth. I still remember what happened the other day in the garden. Seth insists he was just saying sorry to something he did earlier, but I think that was way too affectionate."

* * *

"It's so wonderful, Seth!" Bianca sighed as she leaned back under the midday sun. Seth lay next to her. The two of them were under the partial shade of a tree that was mysteriously growing by itself in the middle of nowhere.

"I wish we could stay like this forever," Seth said, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. Bianca propped herself on top of one elbow and leaned toward Seth.

"You look so handsome," she whispered, leaning over and kissing his forehead. Seth opened his eyes and smiled.

"I'm sorry for what I did yesterday," he said. Bianca chuckled.

"You're still on with that?" she asked. "Forget it."

"But-," Bianca didn't let him finish, pressing her lips to his own. For a few seconds, Seth was caught by surprise, but quickly recovered. He moved his arms around her waist. Bianca caressed his cheek softly, letting her tongue roll over his. When she pulled away, he was smiling.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too!"

* * *

Crimson opened her eyes and found herself in the middle of black emptiness. She blinked and adjusted to the mysterious light that came from nowhere. Looking around her, she saw her friends were still asleep. Téa, Yugi, and Bakura were sleeping on one side. Joey was a little off in the distance, as if he had rolled off. Crimson could still hear him muttering something in his sleep. Kaiba was right next to her. Crimson was just about to lie back down when she took a second look at Kaiba. Something triggered in her mind. A slight...

"Oh my gosh!" she whispered as loudly as she could. "It's Seth! Duh! Why didn't I see it before!? Oh, I am an idiot!" She growled to herself as she looked at him again. "Kinda creepy that I didn't notice it before. And, he is a bit cute." Crimson smiled to herself as she gazed down at his face. Suddenly, with no apparent reason, she leaned over and kissed his forehead, just like in the dream. Seto opened his eyes and looked at her. With a gasp, Crimson pulled back.

"What were you doing?" Kaiba asked. Crimson mentally screamed.

"Uh...oh...me...I...ah...ah..."

"What?"

"Instinct." Crimson nodded to herself. "Yeah, instinct. It was one of those instinct things."

"Out of instinct, you kissed my forehead?"

"Sure, if you want to put it that way." Crimson grinned sheepishly. "This is probably a dream anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

"A dream?"

"Probably. I mean, why would I do that in real life?"

"Good point. Oh, by the way, I'm sorry for what I did earlier, with the argument."

"You're sorry?" Crimson cried, flabbergasted. "You, Seto Kaiba, are sorry? I'm afraid I don't know what that means, especially when it comes from someone so cold as you. Is it sincere?"

"Stop with the sarcasm, Streaks."

"That has a weird ring to it, besides it's not even really my last name."

"Who cares?"

"Anyway, I knew you weren't sincere." Crimson crossed her arms.

"I was," Kaiba insisted. Crimson smirked, trying to imitate Kaiba but was failing miserably. Her smirk wasn't anywhere as evil as his.

"Prove it!" Crimson challenged. Kaiba rolled his eyes. He held a finger up and motioned Crimson to come closer to him. Though she was a bit suspicious, she obeyed anyway. Kaiba reached out and grasped her turtleneck collar and pulled her closer, capturing her lips with his own. Crimson immediately pulled away.

"What the f-,"

"Hey, it's a dream!" he protested. Crimson thought to herself for a moment. Kaiba sighed as he waited for her response. "Right?"

"Yeah," Crimson agreed, shrugging. She leaned closer and kissed his lips. She felt his arms wrap around her waist. She let her hands caress his cheek softly. It was just as about as romantic as any first kiss when...

"I saw 'dat ya two!" Crimson gasped as she pulled away, both she and Kaiba looking over at Joey. Much to their surprise, he was still asleep. "I know ya took my donut!" Crimson laughed nervously as she completely squirmed out of Kaiba's arms.

"Funny," she said. "That was the scariest thing in my life. I guess now we sit here for the dream to end." Crimson gathered her knees in her arms and sat her chin upon her hands. Kaiba was still lying down, his hands positioned behind his head and his legs crossed. They waited for about ten minutes.

"This _is_ a dream, right?" Crimson finally asked. "I've never had a dream with me doing nothing for ten minutes."

"It is starting to develop characteristics that are uncommon in my own dreams."

"Please don't say I kissed you for real," Crimson muttered. "I would commit suicide if I kissed you for real."

"I'll come to your funeral."

"I can't believe it! You're sincere and funny in the same day. I think the world stopped spinning."

"Can it, Crimson."

"That's funny. When you said, 'stop the sarcasm', you used my last name, which started with an S like the phrase. And now you say 'can it', and you use my first name, which starts with a C. See the connection?"

"Yes, I do." Crimson chuckled to herself. She looked around at the others sleeping.

"This is a weird and long dream," she remarked.

"I don't believe it's a dream."

"Oh come on, Kaiba, of course it's a dream. You know I would never kiss you in real life."

"Same."

"We just have to wait until we wake up."

"I feel awake."

"So do I."

"Are you sure it's a dream?"

"Not anymore."

"I don't think it's a dream." Crimson pinched herself and yelped. Kaiba winced as he felt something sharp against his cheek. He felt his face but found nothing that hurt him.

"It's not a dream." Crimson looked at Kaiba and covered her mouth. "Ah shit! I kissed you for real! I'm never going to forgive myself! I am a total idiot!"


	13. Connections Established

Chapter 13 - Connections Established

A few minutes later, the rest of the gang awoke to find a smirking Seto Kaiba and a blushing-so-furiously-it-was-hard-to-tell-she-was-not-a-beetroot Crimson Streaks glaring at each other.

"What happened?" was the first question out of Téa's mouth.

"He kissed me!" Crimson cried. Yugi, Joey, Téa, and Bakura gaped at Kaiba.

"Correction. _You_ kissed me." The staring and the Look passed to Crimson.

"You kissed first."

"But the fact is... you _did_ end up kissing me."

"But you first!"

"It doesn't matter the order. It can be confirmed that I kissed you and you kissed me." Crimson muttered something under her breath and crossed her arms.

"Ya guys made out 'tin the Shadow Realm??" Joey demanded. "Wha'?"

"It was minor," Kaiba said.

"Minor? _Minor_!" Crimson was about to explode. "You know, with all the dreams I've been having, this is not the best thing to do to me!" Kaiba chuckled. Crimson clenched her teeth.

"Well, talk about exciting," Bakura said. "I surely didn't expect this."

"You think any of us did?" Yugi asked. Crimson glared at her friends and pouted.

"I hate this," she moaned. "I want to go home. First we had to escape from a madman's castle that happens to be infested with crawling vines, then we travel to the Shadow Realm to rescue people that we have no idea where they are, and lastly, the Seto Kaiba kisses me just like the dream I had just now."

"You dreamed that he would kiss you?" Téa asked. "Talk about crazy."

"It's not the first time," Crimson informed. "I've been having scary dreams for six months. The majority of them had been the same one repeated. Though, recently I have had quite a few different ones."

"Funny," Kaiba said. "For the past six months, I've been haunted by the same dream too."

"Such a coincidence," Crimson said sarcastically, glaring at him.

"You know, so have I," Yugi said. Crimson, Kaiba, and Yugi all stared at each other.

"This is creepy," Bakura said. "But...it would be even more creepy if it turns out that you all had the same dream."

"That would never happen," Crimson assured him. "It was too crazy."

"We can't be sure unless we all hear it," Téa reasoned.

"Yeah...we'd neva' know!" Crimson sighed.

"Fine, I'll tell ya'll the shortest form I can make it into." The others made a circle as if it was the start of a story time period. "Let's see...first there's this lady - who is probably me - who is crying while this guy - who looks incredibly like Yugi - throws pots at her."

"Uh..." Yugi interrupted. "My dream was that I'm throwing stuff and yelling at this black-haired woman who's pleading my forgiveness."

"I'm nowhere near the picture," Kaiba stated. "My character is pacing in my chamber because I am afraid that I will lose my honor."

"I was afraid of losing my honor too," Yugi said. "Cause my younger sister was pregnant without marriage." Kaiba stared at him.

"I was afraid of losing my honor cause I _made_ her pregnant."

"I was the one who _was_ pregnant. I mean, the person in my dream. It's not really me... right?" Crimson looked around nervously.

"I have no earthly clue what all this is about," Téa said. "But maybe you guys should tell anything more you know about those people."

"Well..." Crimson thought for a second. "My character looked a lot like me. She was supposedly the younger sister of the Pharaoh Atem and the girlfriend of the High Priest Seth."

"That would be me," Kaiba said. For once his voice wasn't so proud.

"Uh..._what_?"

"I was the Pharaoh!" Crimson gave the two boys a terrified look.

"It's a small world...isn't it?"

"So let me get this straight," Bakura said. "Yugi was the Pharaoh in the dream, Crimson was the princess in the dream, and Seto was some High Priest?"

"Go on wit' 'de dream," Joey urged.

"Okay..." Yugi continued. "Next, I told Bianca, the woman, to go away."

"I, I mean Bianca, went away."

"My character heard that she went away."

"Next, my attendant told me she went to the Nile River."

"Bianca went to the Nile River and drowned herself."

"My character was informed of her death and went immediately to the Pharaoh..."

"Continue..." Téa trailed off as Kaiba, Crimson, and Yugi looked at each other and shrugged.

"I'm afraid that's all we know," Crimson said. "Except for the bits and pieces of other dreams."

"Yes," Yugi said. "Ever since we met Crimson, my dreams have started to show more about me trying to stop Bianca from meeting with Seth."

"I remember something that happened a while ago," Seto said. "In Duelist Kingdom when I first met Crimson. She told me her name was Bianca for no apparent reason."

"Now you know why," Crimson replied.

"Yeah, I thought it was kind of strange too, being as Crimson is her real name."

"Well...no actually it isn't." Everyone suddenly turned to look at her. Brushing back a strand of her hair, she continued...

"Perhaps it has come the time when I should tell y'all the truth. I kept it hidden because I thought it wasn't important, but then I figured out with the dream and all it really was. Maybe this might help you answer some questions."

"I don' get it! Wha' are ya' sayin'?"

"Well, to start off, my name is really Yasmine. I'm in reality, related to someone you might not expect."

"Who?" Bakura inquired.

"Yugi." They all gasped and looked at their short friend.

"What? But how...how..."

"When I was young I did live with Yugi and our parents. But one day there was this flood and I was separated. By the time they found me, I had been adopted and situated with a new family. They thought it would be best if I stayed. It was three years that I lived with them after all.

"I had been searching for you, Yugi, for quite some time. When the first time I realized that the person in my dream was you, I almost couldn't wait to come to Duelist Kingdom. I felt the answers to all my questions were waiting here.

"Boy was I right. I never had so much as an adventure. I realized that the farther I got into figuring out my past, the more would be revealed. I learned things that I never thought I would. Unfortunately, it wasn't always easy.

"I've come across too many challenges in my life. My Millennium Anklet was the start of everything. It started my dreams and all the horrible accidents. I've been able to control it now for a while, but it wasn't always this way." Crimson sighed and looked around. Téa and Bakura just looked shocked at the news. Joey was staring at her like she was an alien. Yugi and Kaiba were giving each other wary glances.

"Yasmine Motou, huh?" Kaiba said. "Well, some things are just meant to happen whether you like them or not. Anyways, I'd rather have a Motou kiss me than a Wheeler." Crimson fumed.

"Ha! Very funny! I suppose you think this is a joke!" she demanded angrily. Her tone made everyone snap to attention. "Don't you get it?"

"It probably is a joke, for all I care. Right now, getting back Mokuba is all that matters to me."

"So it true then," Yugi said. "I was the Pharaoh in the past, you were Bianca, and Seto was Seth. Then it all pieces together." Crimson glared at Kaiba.

"Unfortunately so," Kaiba said.

"Now I know why Bianca committed suicide," Crimson said sarcastically.

"That brings up another point," Bakura said. "If what you all said about the dreams was true, and history truly does repeat itself... what do you think would happen this time?"

"You're right," Yugi said. "Destiny put us together to figure this out. I'm afraid the same things are going to happen."

"Then..." Crimson trailed off. Her eyes widened at the meaning. "Oh no! We have to do something. I can't die, and you two can't fight like you did. Oh! We have to prevent the past from being repeated!"

"But how?"


	14. Duel With Royhaun Cjosen

Chapter 14 - Duel with Royhaun Cjosen

Yugi, Joey, Téa, Bakura, Kaiba, and Crimson looked at each other silently for a few minutes. The surrounding blackness made them feel a little creeped out, but it was more about what Bakura had just noted that really made them shudder.

"You know, guys," Crimson finally said. "Let's just think about this another time okay. Staying in one place too long makes me feel paranoid."

"Good idea." The others reluctantly got up. They picked a random direction and started walking forward. None of them knew if they were going in the right direction, or if they were coming from the same place they had just walked from. No one said a word. After Tristan's disappearance and the new feeling of a threat, there was nothing light to talk about. After a good hour had passed, Téa began to get a little curious.

"Crimson. I was just wondering. Where exactly are we going? I mean, how are we going to free Mokuba, Yugi's Grandpa, and Tristan?" Crimson thought for a moment.

"Well, there are two ways. First, we can go after the Sajuka tree and do it ourselves. The only problem is that Mokuba and Yugi's Grandfather aren't exactly imprisoned inside Soul Crystals. The Sajuka tree might not work. If it doesn't, we can ask Raiya directly."

"Raiya?" Joey queried. "Who's 'dat?"

"Oh, she's an Enchantress. The Mistress of the Dark. Her father rules the Shadow Realm. She has the power to release Souls from this place."

"Is she on our side?" Yugi asked.

"I'm afraid not," Crimson responded. "She's extremely selfish over the Souls she's captured. We might need to fight to get back what's ours."

"It doesn't get any easier, does it?" Bakura remarked. Just as he said that, the scene started to change. Underneath their feet, brown, rocky land started to appear. The temperature started to rise as well.

"Feels like we're near a volcano," Kaiba noted.

"That's an accurate observation," a voice said. The gang looked around nervously for the source.

"I've heard your voice before!" Crimson cried.

"Correct, again." This time, a boy about eighteen years old appeared a few hundred feet away from them. He had bright red hair that contrasted sharply with his pale, freckled skin. A malicious grin played around his face. Crimson noticed he had a Duel Disk on one arm, and was shuffling a Deck of Duel Monster Cards.

"What do you want?" Crimson demanded, stepping a few paces in front of her friends. The boy only laughed.

"You remember me, don't you?" he asked. "Me, Royhaun Cjosen? I'll refresh your memory just in case. I was in the Duelist Kingdom tournament when I challenged you to a Duel. You declined, and took my Soul."

"Not on purpose!" Crimson interrupted. "It was an accident."

"Regardless, I want it back. But this time, your Soul will be mine."

"What do you mean, 'this time'?"

"I mean, we're going to Duel for our souls. Winner takes all!" The ground behind Crimson split. The part her friends were on receded back a few hundred meters. Crimson gasped as the rocks around her foot cracked and fell down into a deep canyon that led right to a pit of boiling lava. Crimson couldn't run. She was at least a hundred feet from any solid ground, save the pillar she was standing on that had a ten-meter diameter. Royhaun mounted a similar pillar opposite her by two hundred feet. The perimeter of land around them glowed red from the lava below.

"Crimson!" The gang cried. Crimson turned to face them.

"It's okay!" she yelled back. "I'm fine!" She turned around. A Duel Disk materialized on her left arm. A panel of cards rained down in front of her.

"Choose any cards you want. You must build an all-new Deck to Duel. Oh, and the Deck will stay with you as long as you're in the Shadow Realm, which will be for all eternity." Crimson moaned.

_Great! I've never built a Deck before. Sure I've Dueled a few times, but I was never good at it. I don't know the basics of building a strong Deck. Oh well..._ Crimson examined the cards as they dropped down in front of her. Her eyes scanned each row as it passed by. Whenever she liked a card she picked it.

"Let's see," she whispered to herself. "This is Polymerization. I think it's pretty. I'll take it. Oh, I don't know what these cards are; I've never seen them. I'll take a few. Oh, that green is a pretty color. Magic cards are cool. I'll take a lot... I think that monster will be good. Oh that one's cute, I want that. Oh, I've seen this card, Destruction. I'll take it. Oh! It's Enchanted Javelin. Must have that... more Magic cards!" Finally, Crimson was finished.

The rest of the gang watched helplessly as Crimson picked her cards. They were too far away to see what cards she was choosing. They didn't dare go any closer to the edge. The lava pit was burning yellow and it seemed very dangerous. Kaiba looked frantically for a way to help Crimson.

"Look!" he said. The others crowded around him. He pointed to a small outcropping of rock that led down to the place where there were steps to climb up to Crimson's position.

"We can't go there," Téa objected. "It's too dangerous. It'll take forever to go down."

"We have to try," Yugi suggested. "Crimson is in danger." Téa reluctantly nodded, and the five of them raced to the area where the outcropping was.

"Let's Duel!!" Crimson looked down at her Duel Disk to see 2000 LP light up. She and Royhaun both drew five cards.

"Ladies first!" Roy said. Crimson drew a card and smiled.

"I call upon Magic Queen!" A blonde fairy rose up from the card Crimson placed on the field. She had on a glittering crown and a long blue gown embroidered in jewels. "She has an awesome attack power of 1600. Your turn!" Royhaun smirked as he drew a card.

"I place two cards face down!" he declared. Two glowing rectangular areas appeared on the field. "Then, I summon Darkness Angel to the field. If you thought 1600 was strong, then the 1700 attack power of this creature must be stronger." The Angel flew up from the card, with an arrow already nocked on her bow. She had long black hair with a gown to match. "Attack!" The Angel aimed and fired. Magic Queen screamed as the arrow sent her to the Graveyard. Crimson yelped as she felt a sharp sting from her heart.

"What is-?"

"Surprised?" Royhaun asked. "Well, don't forget that in the Shadow Realm, every monster is a part of your soul. Losing one can be very...painful." Crimson scowled as her LP went down to 1900.

"My turn!" she announced. She drew a card and placed it in her hand. _Okay, I don't have anything strong enough right now. My best choice would be to play defense for the time being_. Crimson selected a card and placed it on the field.

"I play this in defense and end my turn." Royhaun grinned and pushed a button on his Duel Disk.

"Nice try," he stated. "I activate Defense Paralysis! Your monster is forced into attack mode. Now, it's my turn." He drew a card as Crimson gasped. "Darkness Angel attack!" Crimson's monster, Crying of the Waters had only a thousand attack points. The Angel's arrow made quick work of it. Crimson screamed as pain hit her stomach. She fell to her knees.

"Your monster was way too weak. You'll have to pay for that." Crimson struggled back up to her feet. She felt light-headed and ached all over. She knew very well that all the monsters were real in this Realm and that losing a monster could have dangerous consequences. She had to be very careful.

* * *

"Take it easy, one at a time," Bakura instructed. He watched as Téa slowly made her way down the side of the wall. She was a little better than Joey had been; he had nearly tripped and fallen. Kaiba had gone down first, and he proved to be an expert in climbing down. It took him less than half a minute. Téa was more freaked out than unable. She closed her eyes and moved an inch per minute.

"Come on Téa! Faster!" Yugi urged. Téa grimaced as she put her foot down on the next available footrest. Yugi watched her desperately. He looked over to see Crimson Dueling and found that her Crying of the Waters was about to get creamed by Darkness Angel.

"Look, guys!" Joey and Kaiba turned to look toward Crimson. They had to angle their heads up from the place they were standing on. The Darkness Angel let go of her arrow and Crying of the Waters disappeared from the field. To the gang's surprise, Crimson fell to her knees and screamed.

"Crimson!" Kaiba called. Téa was already straining to keep her balance. At Kaiba's sudden exclamation, Téa's hand slipped. She cried out as she fell from the rock wall.

"Téa!" Yugi cried. Kaiba quickly turned and manage to catch her. Téa opened her eyes and found herself in his arms.

"Um...thanks?" Kaiba smirked and dropped her. She landed to the ground with a thud.

"_Hey_!"

* * *

Crimson looked down at her Duel Disk and noticed she had 1200 LP left. It wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either.

"Hm!" Royhaun scoffed. "I bet you don't have anything powerful enough to beat my Darkness Angel. And you don't have the brains to lay a decent Trap."

"Trap?"

"Duh! Trap cards. Those pink ones that you were supposed to pick."

"Oh...I only took like two of those." Royhaun burst out laughing.

"Amateur!" he gasped between chuckles. "How do you expect to beat me with almost no Trap cards?" Crimson thought to herself. _Boy! He's right! I'm such an idiot. I went for all the prettiest looking cards. I never once thought about a strategy! I bet none of my cards go together._

"Face it, you're a loser!" Crimson growled and pulled a card. It was her turn. Looking at her cards, she tried to come up with a strategy. At that point, she had three Magic cards and three monster cards in her hand. None of them were strong enough to beat the Darkness Angel. She couldn't play defense either. _If I don't put down a monster, then he will surely attack and win. If I play a monster, it will be destroyed and a part of my LP will be too. The thing is, at least all of it won't be gone._ Crimson reasoned that that was the best strategy.

"I place Mage of Mystic Fire on the field! Then I place this card face down behind it!" Crimson knew that Royhaun heard from her that she only had two Trap cards. She decided that he might think her face down card was one of them. Or, he might think she was actually lying and probably had a Deck full of them. Either way, he could believe her face down card was a Trap.

"My turn!" Royhaun said, drawing his next card. "I'm smart enough to know that your face down card is not a Trap. So I'll attack... but first, I'll activate my Trap card, Back-Up, and raise my monster's attack power by two hundred. Now! Darkness Angel attack!" The Angel knocked another arrow and aimed. Crimson gasped and tried to shield herself. The Angel fired the arrow.

* * *

"Okay guys," Yugi said as he finally jumped down to the others. The five nodded and turned. "See that narrow path of land? We have to go through that."

"Through the small stepping-stone style pathway that's barely enough for one person to stand on? One that looks like it's going to collapse into the lava any second?" Téa queried faintly.

"Yep." Téa moaned. "Come on, we can do this!"

"We need to get there fast!" Kaiba said. "We still have to climb that pillar to Crimson after that."

"Let's hurry," Bakura suggested.

* * *

The blast from the Darkness Angel's arrow colliding with the Mage of Mystic Fire sent Crimson sprawling to the ground. She moaned as she struggled to her feet, clutching her arm. She looked down at her Duel Disk in horror to find only one hundred LP remaining.

"Sorry, forgot to mention," Royhaun added. "Back-Up also allows me to double the damage I do to your LP." Crimson growled. She didn't have much of a chance now. She drew a card and looked at it. It was a monster card, but Crimson didn't need it now. She needed a strong spell card, but she had nothing strong in her hand.

_I'm doomed. If I place a monster, he'll destroy it and my LP. If I don't, he'll destroy my LP anyway. I don't have a chance._

"I pass," Crimson said. Royhaun smirked. He drew a card.

"I feel so bad, hurting you like this," he taunted. "A small, pathetic girl with no abilities whatsoever." Crimson tried to concentrate on something else to drown out his silly insults. Her eyes fell upon her face down card and she cried out in desperation.

"I'm such an idiot!!" she yelled. "I could have used this Magic Card!" Royhaun chuckled.

"Too late, you can't play Magic Cards in my turn!" Crimson sighed and fell to her knees. She was going to lose because of her own stupidity. She should have known she had a Magic Card, and now she couldn't even use it... or could she?

"Darkness Angel! Attack!" The Angel nocked an arrow and prepared to fire. Crimson took out the Magic Card, Shattered Glass, and looked at it. All of a sudden, she noticed a tiny symbol in the upper right corner she had never seen before.

"Black Dust Arrow!" Crimson's head snapped up as Darkness Angel let go of the bow with a twang. She acted quickly and slid Shattered Glass into the card slot.

"I activate Shattered Glass!"

* * *

"AH!"

"Téa!"

"Help!"

"Don't step on that!"

"You guys are pathetic!"

"Keep yar' insults t' ya' self, moneybags!"

"Suit yourself."

"Téa! That rock will crack!"

"Hey...this isn't solid."

"Bakura! You're going to fall!"

"Here, this is the last step!" Bakura and the others finally got onto a section of rock that was solid enough and big enough for all of them to take a break. They had only gotten half way to the Dueling pillar, but Téa had tripped and fallen more than a few times, only to be saved by Joey or Yugi at the last second. Bakura's curiosity of the bright orange patches almost caused him to fall into a large section of boiling hot lava.

"We're almost there!" Yugi said.

"Define almost," Téa panted, collapsing onto a small rock. The others joined her, except Kaiba, who was already on his way down the rest of the path.

_Crimson has probably never really had a decent Duel from the looks of it._ Kaiba reasoned. _I better not be too late._

* * *

The Darkness Angel screamed as she was wrapped up in lightning bolts. Her arrow was vaporized before it reached Crimson.

"What's going on?" Royhaun demanded, with a small yelp as he clutched his leg. "You can't play Magic Cards in my turn."

"Oh yes I can!" Crimson announced triumphantly. "As long as it's Quick-Play. Those Magic Cards work as both Magic and Trap cards. And, sorry to disappoint you, but that's the category in which almost all my Magic Cards fall under." Royhaun growled as he stood up.

"Let's get the effect of Shattered Glass over with," he said, taking all the monster cards from his hand and graveyard.

"Alright," Crimson agreed. "Let's see. Shattered Glass makes you take all the Monsters in your hand, graveyard, and field, and shuffle them into your Deck." Crimson took all but two cards from her hand and put it into the Deck. She took her graveyard monsters and put them into the Deck as well, shuffling it after.

"My turn," she declared, drawing a card. One of the cards she had in her hand was Card of the Lamp Liver. Her newly drawn card was My Bottle's Genie. Just what she needed to turn the Duel over.

"It's your turn to face demise!" Crimson said, slapping her monster card onto the field. "My Bottle's Genie! Use Poison Grace and attack!" Royhaun's eyes widened as a purple-haired, veiled Genie appeared and shot a strong of magic at him. It hit him right in the chest and he doubled over in pain. His LP dropped to 200. "I also place this card face down. End turn!" Royhaun stood up and drew a card.

"I'm lucky that I'm only a Soul," he said. "A direct attack won't hurt me as much as it would hurt you. Anyway, first I play Seal of Doom. This water creature, with his 1850 attack power, will demolish any chance you have of winning. Then, I play TentaSword! Not only does this card let me draw five new cards, but also I get four hundred LP for my Seal's existence. I also get an additional three hundred LP for it being a Water creature. So now, armed with a total of 900 LP and Seal of Doom, I attack your Genie!"

* * *

"Okay, we're almost there."

"Again, define almost!" The five members of the gang looked at the few more steps they had to go across to reach Crimson's pillar. Stepping across them would have normally been an easy task, except for the balls of molten lava flying between the different rock steps.

"We just hafta' get 'de timin' right!" Joey said, as if he was the smartest one there.

"Let's see, the first few rocks will be easy to cross, but the last two have multiple lava balls crossing them." Bakura, Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba tried to figure out the timing of the balls of fire. Téa turned around and looked at how far they had come across the lava.

"We're nearly there!" she said aloud, hoping to encourage herself. She kicked a small black rock into the lava and watch it sink. Somehow, it bounced right back out. Out of curiosity, Téa kicked it back in. It came back out. Téa kicked it again. This time, the rock came out followed by a long slimy tentacle. Téa shrieked and backed up.

"What is it, Téa?" Bakura asked, turning around. He saw Téa backing up and a long tentacle, followed by a gigantic body of what appeared to be a giant termite living in the lava. By this time, Joey, Yugi, and Kaiba had also turned around. They gulped at the sight of the giant bug and the millions that followed it from the lava.

"Forget the timings! Run!" The five made a dash over the last rocks, with no respect for time or space. The giant termites followed, melting rock as they went.

"Climb! Climb! Climb!" Joey urged, as the five scrambled up to vertical pillar toward Crimson. They only looked down after they were ten meters in the air, and to their relief the bugs did not follow.

"That was freaky!"

* * *

Crimson was thrown back as the attack from the Seal hit her Genie. Her brain was almost jumping out of her head, and her LP went down to fifty. Quickly, she pressed a button on her Duel Disk.

"Activate Card of the Lamp Liver! This Quick-Play Magic Card allows me to destroy any monster that has attacked in the turn this card is activated. Bye-bye, Seal of Doom!" Royhaun gasped as his Seal melted into the ground.

"You will pay!" Crimson smirked as she drew a card. _All right! My favorite! This will make up for the fact that I don't have any monsters._ Crimson placed her newest card face down. She had one card in her hand, but she decided to keep it.

"I end my turn." Royhaun nodded and drew a card.

"Now you are finished! I play my Beast of the Devil! With his 1600 attack, he will send you to oblivion! Attack!" The giant, five-legged beast charged at Crimson. She cried out in pain as she was thrown back, landing near the edge of the platform. She activated her Trap.

"Enchanted Javelin! This...will increase... my LP by your monster's attack... points. In this... case, since I have no... monsters, my LP stays... the same!" Crimson tried to get up, but her body was aching all over and she felt weak.

"I told you direct attacks would hurt you more." Crimson was in too much pain to retaliate. She crouched over on the pillar. She weakly drew a card from her Deck to begin her turn.

"Two cards...face down...I...end...my...turn..." Crimson closed her eyes. She just wanted to go to sleep. Unfortunately, she was in too much pain to do even that. Royhaun laughed as he drew his card.

"Ha! Victory is mine! Time to bring out one of my most powerful monsters using my Polymerization!" Crimson faintly mumbled something and pushed a button on her Duel Disk.

"Activate...uh...Mystical Space... Typhoon! This... stops you from... using...Polymerization!" Crimson moaned as another surge of pain racked her body.

"No!" Royhaun cried. "Now I have to skip my turn too!" Crimson faintly smiled. She drew a card and looked at it. It was a simple Graceful Dice. It couldn't help her now. She also had a card called Calling for the Tide face down. She hoped it would be enough. She was too hurt to think any further. She weakly motioned for Royhaun to begin his turn.

"I play Question's Answer in attack mode! This warrior has enough power to destroy you, even if it only as weak as 1400! Attack!" Crimson smiled. This was too perfect. The duel was about to end.

"Perfect..." she muttered as loudly as she could, struggling to stand up. She winced in pain as she pushed a button on her Duel Disk.

"Calling...for...the Tide! This...card...takes away 1000 LP for any monster that has been on the field for less than... one turn. That means you... lose!!" Royhaun shrieked in horror as his LP went down to 0. The monsters started to slowly disappear.

"No!" he called to his Question's Answer. "Hurry attack! Destroy Crimson!" Crimson gasped as she saw the approaching warrior. He raised his sword and swung.

"NO!" Crimson gasped again when Kaiba suddenly leaped in front of her. Luckily, the monster fully disappeared before his sword hurt anybody. Out of shock, Crimson's knees buckled. Kaiba caught her as she fell. Royhaun's pillar crumbled and he fell into the lava with it.

"NO!" Kaiba turned back to Crimson.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Crimson nodded.

"Ow..." she moaned softly. Kaiba got down to his knees and let her lie on his shoulder, his arms supporting her back. Crimson smiled and snuggled into his chest.

"Just stay still, or you'll be hurt more. That was a great duel." Kaiba leaned over and kissed Crimson's cheek. She glared back at him.

"Are you mental? What... is with... the Mr. Nice-Guy... All-Of-A-Sudden routine?" Crimson tired to get up, but fell back into Kaiba's arms.

"Don't ask." Just then, the other four appeared over the edge of the platform. They rushed to Crimson's side.

"Oh! That was so cool!" Téa said. "You were so great out there!"

"Awesome!" Bakura agreed.

"I wonda' how we're gonna get offa' the pillar," Joey said. Téa hurried over to the edge and looked over.

"We came up a long way!" she remarked. Suddenly, there was a crack. "Did you guys hear that...?"

"Téa!" Téa looked down and her portion of the platform crumbled. Yugi and Joey rushed over, but they were too late. Téa lost her balance and fell back. With a yell, she fell into the lava.


	15. Ravens

Chapter 15 - Ravens

"No Téa!" Yugi cried. He, Joey, and Bakura raced over to the side of the tall platform, carefully looking over the side. Yugi sunk to his knees. "This can't be happening." Crimson moaned as she tried to stand up, but quickly dropped down.

"Do you want me to carry you?" offered Kaiba. Crimson gave him the Look.

"Okay, did the Shadow Realm already get to you? Are you insane? First of all, I am not a weakling! I can walk myself! Second, having you carry me would be too...too weird, let's say. And finally, why are you so nice?"

"I was just trying to be a bit more patient with you, considering that our pasts are connected. But if you really feel you don't need my help, then I won't offer it to you."

"Fine!"

"Guys! Stop arguing!" Bakura said. "Didn't you guys notice Téa-,"

"Of course we did! Do you think I'm crazy?" Crimson crawled over to the side of the pillar. "I can't believe that happened! First Tristan, now her! Oh! Raiya is going to pay when I get to her!" Crimson finally attempted to get back up and she succeeded, though she still felt light-headed and really uncoordinated.

"A'leas' dat' freak Royhaun blah-blah-blah is gone!"

"That's true. We won't be seeing much of him...but still..." Crimson trailed off as she looked over the edge. "I can't believe Téa is too. That makes our list up to four. It's just Kaiba, you, Yugi, Bakura, and me now. Five of us against the might of Raiya and her control over the Shadow Realm." Crimson wrapped her arms around her. "I think we are a wee bit out numbered."

"Tell me about it," Yugi said, getting up. "But we better get off this pillar first. Maybe then, we can make a strategy."

"Good idea!" Crimson looked around her. The others looked around as well. They all came to dwell on one question.

"How?" they all asked at once. They each looked at each other. Suddenly, a cracking noise erupted from behind them. One side of the pillar broke and fell down. It landed with a splash into the lava. Their standing area became half of what it used to be.

"Uh..." Crimson gulped as she watched the remaining edges crack. "I don't care how we do it, but we better do it fast!"

"Let's get down the same way we did earlier," Joey said, rushing over to the side he had climbed up. The others hurried to his side.

"Okay, Joey first and Bakura follow. Yugi, you can go next and Kaiba will follow. I go last. Hurry!" Crimson yelped as a portion of rock behind her cracked off. Crimson observed that her pillar wasn't the only think cracking. As far as the eye could see, the ring of rock forming the perimeter was slowly starting to break down. It would be much time before everything sank into lava. And as more rock started to fall into the lava, the more it would rise.

"Guys! Hurry! We have to get to stable higher ground!" The others had already begun to climb down the side. Crimson felt sick to the stomach and light-headed, but she still followed Kaiba down the side. The five of them climbed down as fast as they could. Finally, they were all on the bottom. Bakura pointed to the narrow strip of rocks they had previously conquered. The lava had almost covered most of them.

"Great!" Crimson moaned. "How are we going to get past this?" She was interrupted by a loud crunching noise. She looked on with terror as the surrounding walls shook violently, chunks of rocks falling down into the lava. Soon, the lava on the ground stirred up like a sea of waves before disappearing entirely. All that was left was a sea of brown rock and the five of them standing in the middle of the red-tinged canyon.

"That makes it almost too easy," Kaiba commented. He stepped forward carefully, and then proceeded faster. The others shrugged and followed him. In a matter of minutes, they had reached the wall.

"You know guys, I would have thought there would be a bigger test than just walking across a canyon."

"I agree! Somethin's fishy!"

"I think that's just you, Wheeler."

"Shaddup!" The five of them started up at the wide expanse of red rock they had to climb. As far as they could see, it was smoother than when the 'rescue team' had climbed it. Crimson warily extended her arm and touched the wall. Immediately, a curvy-sloped pathway materialized out of thin air. The gang gasped.

"'Dat... was convenient!"

"No kidding, Wheeler. Let's go!" The five rushed over to the start of the maze-like pathway and started up. No sooner than the moment Crimson first put her foot on the pathway, another violent jarring and crunching noise erupted. The gang fought for balance as the ground shook. Pieces of red rock crumbled to the floor. Kaiba shouted as an unusually large rock cracked and came crashing down right where the five of them stood. Bakura pummeled Yugi and Joey into the wall and the three of them closed their eyes. Kaiba pinned Crimson against the side of the slope pathway.

"I'm sqooshed!" Crimson muttered, trying to speak with her head buried in Kaiba's chest. She found it exceedingly hard to breathe. After the rock finally crashed to the ground several feet away, everyone sighed and backed away from the wall. Crimson took deep breaths.

"Oh! I could have suffocated! Kaiba! Your cologne is intoxicating! Like I wasn't already light-headed...what kind is it? Smelled good." Kaiba smirked at her before motioning to the others. Crimson growled. "Fine! Blow off my question! Ignore me! I could have died for all you care!"

"It's not like I didn't care. I just thought you would have known by the scent. I'll leave you to wonder. Anyway, it wasn't like I was having any fun. You wash your hair with Strawberry Sundae shampoo. It smells too sweet for my taste."

"Oh! Now you notice!" Crimson stopped briefly as she felt a tug on her arm. She brushed it off. "How come you didn't notice when you kissed me?"

"I was too occupied with... other things. After all, how can you kiss someone if you are thinking Strawberry Sundae shampoo?" Crimson's jaw dropped. Joey and Bakura looked at each other and nearly burst out laughing. Crimson felt the tug on her arm again.

"What?" she cried exasperatedly, looking at Yugi. He pointed to the wall on the opposite side that was twice as close as it previously was. And it was still moving.

"Run!" Joey yelled, and the others frantically rushed up the pathway as the wall advanced on them. So much for what they thought was an easy climb. The pathway twisted up in odd angles and it didn't do them any good that they were nervous that they were about to get squished.

"Ah!" The wall moved faster. Large chunks of rocks fell and pieces of the pathway started to break off. The panicked five raced to beat the clock. They managed to race up and fall breathlessly on top of the surface. The narrow gap below closed up fully. Crimson made a quick head count before crumpling to the floor.

"I am officially out of order. Please replace my batteries." Crimson closed her eyes. The surrounding area turned back to the wide sea of black it once was. It didn't offer much comfort to the gang. They were already minus two of their group and the last "test" had left them out of breath. They weren't ready for any new surprises. Unfortunately, one was already on its way.

"Did you guys hear that?" Crimson asked. The others tried to listen to the sound Crimson was observing. Sure enough, they all heard a faint flapping sound.

"Wha' are we gonna do? Der's no place t' hide!" Joey said.

"Shush! Maybe it will pass by without harming us," Yugi suggested. The five gathered together and glanced around, as the flapping grew nearer. Finally, a large black raven came into view, somehow distinctly visible from the surrounding darkness. It flew toward them and landed softly on the invisible ground. It was at least twice as tall as Kaiba, with dark feathers and soft green eyes.

"Good day, young travelers," it said.

"Ah! It speaks!" Joey cried, rushing behind Crimson to hide. Crimson felt more light-headed than she had before and almost fell on top of him.

"Good...day?" she replied hesitantly.

"Do not be frightened. I might seem quite intimidating but on the contrary, I am here to help you."

"It speaks like Bakura," Crimson noted. She nodded to the bird. "Thank you for your offer, but how do we know that you are really out to help us and not hurt us."

"Hurt you! Like eat you up? Why, that would be a sin! I am a vegetarian, I must confess. I desire nothing more than plant delicacies. I love salad."

"What is your name and who do you work for?" Kaiba asked.

"My name is Sash. I supposedly work for Mistress Raiya of the Shadow, but I would rather decline that position. I heard that seven young travelers were on their way to the Dark Castle – even though I notice that only five are present here – and was hoping to aid them. My Mistress is evil in her attentions, and I did not want you to get lost by evil deeds. Of course, I can only help you so much. I am not of such a power as to rescue you from the deepest of muddy situations, but I offer as much help as I can nonetheless."

"Sure... Sash..." Yugi said. "Now, can you help us get to the Dark Castle?"

"I, unfortunately to say, am watched by Raiya very closely. If I help you, she will find out in no time. Instead, I am sending my daughters to help you. They are the White Ravens of Spirit."

"_White_ Ravens? How can 'dat be?"

"Yes, I know many are curious of how they came about, but they are white because they dedicated their lives to the Light. I, most regrettably, was put under Raiya's servitude. But, not to digress... the White Ravens will help you as much as they can. They will fly toward the castle and you will have to follow them. Unfortunately, in order to not get snared by Raiya's wrath, they cannot stop in this Realm. You will have to keep up with their pace. They cannot stop or slow their progress of Raiya will find them."

"But what if-,"

"No questions, Mr. Joseph. Perchance you lose the way; I do not know how to help you. Raiya will do everything in her power to stop you. Follow the White Ravens and succeed on your quest. Good day, and Godspeed." The giant raven took off and flew away.

"I don't think we should listen to it. It could be a trap," Kaiba said.

"I highly doubt it. I have heard of Sash before. He used to be known as Dark Sash. He is one of Raiya's most rebellious followers. Anyway, even if it is a trap, he will be leading us to the castle because Raiya won't be able to resist losing us, the holders of _three_ Millennium Items."

"Good point." Suddenly, a louder flapping of wings approached the five. They looked up to see fifteen White Ravens fly past. They were going relatively slow. They would be easy to follow.

"Let's go!" Crimson said. "We have no other choice." Joey, Yugi, and Bakura turned and hurried after the ravens. However, Kaiba held Crimson back.

"Here, I want you to have this." Crimson turned around and Kaiba handed her a card. She turned it over and gasped.

"You want me to have-,"

"Borrow!"

"You want me to borrow one of your Blue-Eyes?"

"I remember your Duel. It might be wise if you had a powerful card in your Deck." Crimson stared down at the card in disbelief. A Blue Eyes of her own? That was beyond amazing. Crimson couldn't control her excitement... unfortunately.

"Oh, thank you!" she cried. Then – out of instinct, perhaps? – she reached up and kissed his lips. Turning around swiftly, she hurried after the others. Kaiba stood there for a few seconds. When he finally started walking, a smile played around his lips.


	16. The Test Continues

Chapter 16 - The Test Continues

Crimson finally got caught up to Yugi, Joey, and Bakura. She was still holding the Blue-Eyes White Dragon like it was the whole world. She smiled to herself. A few months ago, she had watched the World Championships and Kaiba had won using his Blue-Eyes. Crimson had always longed for one, but there were only four in the world. Kaiba had three, and she didn't know where the fourth was.

Kaiba finally managed to catch up, walking alongside Crimson.

"I see you are really enjoying that fact that you even get to touch a rare card as that," he remarked. Crimson nodded.

"There are only three others of its kind, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Two you own, and the last I have no idea where it is. Do you know?" Crimson looked over at Kaiba.

"I know," Yugi answered. "It used to belong to my grandfather."

"Really?" Crimson asked. "That would make it my grandfather also. Really? Someone in my family owned a Blue-Eyes?"

"Key word: owned!" Joey added. "Before mista' moneybags 'ere ripped it up an' all!" Crimson rounded on Kaiba.

"You ripped up a Duel Monsters card?" Her glare rivaled his. For a minute, they just stood staring at each other. Finally, Kaiba closed his eyes and smirked. He started walking away.

"The past is gone now." Crimson raised her eyebrows.

"Right," she whispered to herself. "That is why the three of us are haunted by it, right?" She didn't say anymore. Instead, she quietly slipped the card into her pocket and followed Kaiba.

"Kaiba gave her a Blue-Eyes?" Bakura asked Yugi quietly.

"That's what it seems."

"I would have never thought. He must care about her a lot."

"Care? I believe that's putting it mildly." Joey was listening and he burst into laughter.

"Come on, guys," he whispered to them. "Ya don' think Kaiba actually loves 'er, do ya?" Yugi and Bakura shrugged. This made Joey laugh more. "Dat's 'da silliest thing I eva' heard!" The three of them jogged to catch up to Kaiba and Crimson. The five of them walked on in the black scenery. The white birds were still above them, and they seemed to be moving relatively straight. But since it was pitch black all around, no one could really tell which direction was which.

* * *

A black haired girl peered out the window of the highest room in her castle. In one hand she held a comb she was running through her raven colored hair with her long fingers. In the other hand, she held a black crystal ball. Inside that crystal ball was an image of five teenagers walking through a black endless world.

"So, she is coming?" the girl asked slyly. Her voice seemed to be three voices blended into one. It sounded melodious, but haunting. The black haired girl snickered as she set down her comb and flipped her waist length hair behind her. The long bangs almost covered her eyes. With a flick of her head, she sent some strands back. She had long eyelashes as well and dark eyes. She was a very pretty young woman. Her appearance was misleading, however.

The girl left her room and started out into the corridor of the castle. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of black stones. Every few feet there was a torch blazing in purple fire. The flickering light cast shadows over the girl's pale face.

She turned a corner and descended down a flight of stairs. Her long black gown spread out around her. The young woman stood on the bottom step and looked around at the foyer of the Dark castle. She eyed the black marble floor expectantly. Finally, a dark shadow emerged from the floor.

"What is your wish, Mistress?" he asked.

"I want a report immediately. It appears Yasmine is returning to our world." The servant of the Shadows cocked his head to the side. "Yasmine! Remember her? She holds the mysterious Millennium Anklet."

"Ah yes, your Highness. I remember."

"I doubt you would forget. That Millennium Anklet of hers is very special. Originally, only seven Items existed. Hers is special. I have had my eye on it for quite some time. However, her power is strong. Whatever I tried to do to take it from her, she keeps her hold. The countless times I have tried to unleash its energy from this Realm, it fails. It destroys everything but her."

"Yes, I know of what you speak, Mistress."

"Anyways, the past is not important. It is the future that matters. I am still able to control the power of other Millennium Items. The Puzzle has a spirit that will not allow me to, and so does the Ring. But the Millennium Eye...it is vulnerable. I have taken Pegasus as my puppet. Using him, I have claimed two Souls. I knew that it would somehow lead me to her. And it did. Now, Yasmine is here trying to find those very Souls."

"You are very intelligent, my Mistress." The raven-haired girl smiled as she ran a finger along the silver belt around her slim waist.

"Why thank you. Now, the final preparations must be made. I have heard that Sash has betrayed me, but he is still leading them here. I will one day seek vengeance upon his betrayal, but that is not important now. What is important is to get rid of all of the scum in my way. I want that brown-haired boy and the blonde to be gone this instant! I only want the Holders to reach my castle. Two have been eliminated, two more to go."

"Yes, my Mistress Raiya!"

* * *

"Why, this is boring!" Crimson complained. An hour had passed since the five had been walking along the black Realm with the birds flying over them.

"Don't say that," Yugi warned. "Or else Raiya might decide to have fun with us again. She's already taken Téa and Tristan."

"You're right," Crimson admitted. "Who knows what she'll do?" The five shrugged and prepared themselves for more walking, unaware that someone was watching them at that moment. And to make it even worse, that person was chuckling maliciously. She had something planned...

"Look, a light!" Bakura observed. He was right. Ahead of them, in the far distance, a yellow light shining upon a circular area stood out from the dark background. The birds seemed to see it too. They sped up their flight and headed toward it. Crimson and the others followed.

As they got closer, they realized the area that was lit in the yellow light was not empty. A tree with beautiful green leaves and purple blossoms stood. Among the blossoms were bunches of pink, round fruits. Crimson stopped suddenly, and the other four bumped into her.

"What?" Yugi asked. Crimson looked at the tree in surprise.

"It's... the Sajuka Tree."

"The what?"

"Didn't I tell you about it? This tree has the power to free Soul Crystals. Unfortunately, we'll need Raiya's help to use the fruits without Crystals. That, hopefully, she'll agree to after we pass some sort of test. I wonder why she is showing it to us though..." The reason soon came. All of a sudden, the tree started to bend over. The fruits decayed and fell to the ground. The flowers wilted and the leaves started turning a sickly brown.

"No!" Crimson cried, rushing forward. Joey and Bakura grabbed her wrists and held her back.

"Wait!" Bakura cried. "I bet it's a trick!"

"Let me go! That tree is important!" By this time, the tree's leaves, fruits, and flowers had all blackened and fallen to the ground. The tree's bark started to blacken as well and the tree fell over.

"No..." Crimson fell to her knees.

"It hasta' be some sorta' trick!" Joey insisted. "It's gotta be!" Kaiba kneeled down next to Crimson.

"I bet that Raiya is doing this as a test or something. Don't worry. If the Tree is as important as you say it is, then Raiya wouldn't destroy it so easily."

"You're right," Crimson said. She got to her feet. In front of her, the tree melted into the ground and the light vanished. Crimson held herself back from walking over to where the tree had been. "Raiya probably did that to show us that we are at her mercy. We have no choice but to obey her." The White Ravens, seeing as how the danger had passed, started on their flight again. The five glanced at one another then proceeded.

* * *

"That was interesting," Raiya said. "Very interesting... so, Yasmine, you have figure out the message I am trying to send you? Good for you. Now, I have something else to do. I think it's about time to filter your traveling group and get you ready to face me..." She snapped her fingers, and the scene in her crystal ball began to change.

* * *

"Hey, it's heating up again!" Crimson said. The others also noticed that the temperature was drastically inclining. Suddenly, the floor beneath them started to turn into the bright red rocky ground it had been in near the lava. Heat waves were bouncing along its surface for miles around. The sky was still black, but all light seemed to be mysteriously be coming from the reddish rock.

"Anotha' test..." Joey mumbled. Unexpectedly, the rock underneath him started to crack. In less then a second, the ground under him crumbled.

"Joey!" Crimson cried. The blonde cried out as he held on to the edge of the gaping hole for dear life. Behind him, the large gap seemed to extend forever. The ground on the other side was ten feet away. Crimson rushed to him and tried to help him up.

"Crimson! Look out!" Kaiba warned. Crimson gasped as the rocks under her cracked. They broke off, and Crimson screamed as she and Joey fell. Kaiba rushed to the rescue and grabbed Crimson's hand. Joey, however, slipped from her grasp and fell into the blackness.

"NO!" she cried. She looked up. Kaiba was straining to hold onto her hand. Crimson panicked. She was hanging off the side of a red-tinged cliff that led to a pit of shadows, with Kaiba holding onto her as best as he could... which was not too well.

"Great Scott!" Bakura cried as he and Yugi raced over. Yugi extended his hand and Crimson lent him her free hand. Kaiba and Yugi tried to pull her up.

"Yugi! I'm fine! I can handle her myself!" Kaiba insisted.

"Kaiba! Crimson is my sister and I want to help!"

"I'm fine! Yugi, you're not giving me enough room!"

"It's not like I can move much either!"

"Yugi! Listen! If neither of us can move, then we won't be able to pull her up. Yugi, let go, I'll be fine!"

"Kaiba! If you can just think reasonably... neither of us can pull her up alone. We need to work together!"

"For heaven's sake, you sound like Téa!"

"Stop arguing and pull her up!"

"Yugi, Kaiba! Stop fighting! Pull her up togeth- whoa!" Bakura tried walking over to Yugi to help, but he tripped over a rock on the ground. Kaiba turned to get out of the way and let go of Crimson. Yugi, as skinny and short as he was, did not have enough energy to hold Crimson. His grip loosened and Crimson fell down.

"NO!" Kaiba yelled. Luckily, Crimson managed to grab a portion of a lower rock. She hung on for dear life and looked up desperately. She was at least a few yards lower than the other three boys, and no one had any idea of how to save her.

"Help..." she said meekly. Her hands slowly started to slip...


	17. Truce!

Chapter 17 - Truce!

Crimson gritted her teeth and held on for dear life. She was hanging off a rock on the side of the red-tinged cliff, far below the reach of the three boys. They were desperate to try to find a way to rescue her, but to no avail. They didn't come up with anything that could possibly help the situation.

Kaiba was really angry. It had been partly his fault that Crimson had ended up in this position. If Yugi hadn't tried to help, everything would have been fine. Right now, everything looked beyond hoping.

"We'll think if something," Yugi promised. "Hold on Crimson!" Crimson was trying her best to, but the rock was starting to slip from her grasp. To make matters worse, a small crack formed on the portion of the rock she was holding. With a gasp, Crimson's squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to fall into the dark abyss below her.

"Come on guys!" she urged. "Think of something quick!" Yugi, Kaiba, and Bakura weren't having much luck. They couldn't find rope or anything else in the expanse of flat, red rock surrounding them. Crimson looked over at the endless black hole she was hanging above. She gulped. It didn't look very inviting to her.

* * *

Raiya, Mistress of the Shadow Realm, was watching from her Crystal Ball in her castle. She was not happy.

"Fools!" she cried out into the echoing chamber. The many Shadow guards around her winced. When she wanted her way, she got it. No one had the power or courage to challenge her. Even her own father, Lord Ryu of the Shadows, was reluctant to go against her. She was the most powerful Sorceress and she acted her part well.

"Sorry... Mistress! We hoped we did not-,"

"Imbeciles! Unworthy beings!" Raiya pointed accusingly at the Crystal Ball, showing an image of three worried boys and a terrified girl. She lashed out at her servants. "I only wanted the blonde scum to be gone! This is ridiculous!"

"I thought... I thought... you...w-wanted to get rid of Yasmine..." a servant stuttered. The others watched Raiya in fear. Her normally beautiful features showed rage. In a flash, the Shadow figured who had dared speak out melted into the ground. The others yelped and started to panic.

"You dare..." she whispered menacingly, her dark eyes flashing. Her voice was the same eerie blend that lingered long after she stopped speaking. "I want to face Yasmine, not banish her to eternity in the Shadow Realm! That fate is left to her pathetic friends! The brunettes and the blonde deserve that. She has the Millennium Anklet! I will not risk that Item being lost in this Realm."

"S-s-sorry!" the servants wailed. "We promise to do something!" Raiya stomped the floor and perfectly rectangular stones flew into the air as the section of floor under her cracked and crumbled. The servants coughed on the black dust. Echoes of the blast rang throughout the castle.

"What?" Raiya demanded. "What will you do that will not give us away!" Raiya's tone became soft as a whisper, but still in every way fierce. "I told you before. I face the three! I face them! And from the moment they see me they should know I am evil. I don't even want them to have a glimmer of hope I am on their side, as in rescuing Yasmine. It's a wonder what Mortals do with hope."

Raiya impatiently glanced at her Crystal Ball. "No... we only have one chance. We must lay our chances on their pathetic intelligence."

* * *

"This is hopeless!" Yugi said. "There's no way to haul her up!"

"Don't say that!" Kaiba growled. He picked up Yugi by his black color, looking him straight in the eye. "We _will_ find a way to rescue her!" Bakura tried to ease Kaiba's grip on Yugi. After a few seconds, Kaiba let go. Yugi, who had been a whole foot in the air, fell with a thud.

"What's going on up there?" Crimson asked, trying to shift her weight to climb the rocks. Suddenly, the rock she was holding onto crumbled. With a scream, Crimson grabbed onto another rock below, scratching her arms.

"Crimson!" The three boys rushed to the side of the cliff. The situation was not improving.

"Can't you use your powers and levitate up here?" Yugi called.

"No!" Crimson replied, grunting with the effort to hold on. "It's too dangerous! My Item is unstable, especially in this Realm. Or else we would be okay already."

"And we can't magically create a rope either," Bakura sighed. Kaiba snapped his fingers.

"That's it! Bakura, we _can_ create a rope. Remember Crimson told us that all Duel Monsters were real? Well... how about Magic and Trap cards?" Yugi and Bakura looked at each other.

"It's worth a shot," Yugi agreed. Kaiba pulled out his Deck and searched for a card.

"Shadow Spell!" As he held the card into the air, two intertwined bolts of lightning from the cloudless, black sky lit it on fire. A stack of chains appeared at his feet. Without wasting another minute, Kaiba, Yugi, and Bakura quickly grabbed the pile and tossed one end over the side. Crimson grabbed it and the three boys pulled her up.

"Crimson!" Yugi exclaimed as she finally got over the side. She struggled to her feet and flew into Kaiba's arms. He stared at her in surprise.

"I'm alive!" she cried happily.

"You wouldn't have died," Kaiba stated simply. Crimson pushed herself away from him.

"What's the deal? You were all worried about me one minute and then the next you act like nothing happened. Don't say that-,"

"Crimson," Bakura interrupted. "Let's not get too worked up. That, besides my unfortunate trip, was what led to your fall."

"You're right," Crimson agreed. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry for arguing."

"Me too," Kaiba said. For a few seconds they just sat and looked at each other. Finally...

"No way! I'm not sorry!" Crimson burst out. "I nearly died! Someone better have a good way to cheer me up..."

"It was all Yugi's fault, I refuse to apologize," Kaiba snapped. Yugi and Bakura looked at each other.

"You can't change old habits," Yugi said. They shook their heads. Crimson and Kaiba were glaring at each other. Crimson was angry that she nearly had to go through a near-death experience, even though she wouldn't really die, but rather be lost in the Shadow Realm. Kaiba was angry that he got tricked into apologizing to Yugi; after all, it was _Yugi's_ fault.

"Anyways," Crimson finally said, turning to the other two. "This current matter has seriously alerted me on the fact of how we treat each other." Kaiba snorted and Crimson fought the urge to pound him to the ground.

"As I was saying..." she continued through clenched teeth, eyes closed as if to suggest she was calm. "We need to do something. Me and Kaiba have been..."

"Kaiba and I," Kaiba corrected.

"Shut up!" Crimson screamed. The other three boys did as she told. "Anyway, sorry about that. _Kaiba and I_ have been arguing a bit too much, and so have Yugi and Kaiba. Don't you guys see? This is the same thing that led to my death... as in, my past."

"That's true," Bakura said. "Conflict only tears us apart, and it can lead to devastating things."

"Glad Téa's not here to preach us about this..." Kaiba muttered under his breath.

"It doesn't matter who does," Crimson said. "We need to agree to patch things up, kinda like a truce."

"A truce between you, Yugi, and me?"

"Exactly! We promise that until this Shadow Realm thing is over and we are safely in our homes, the four of us will work together to bring our friends back and defeat Raiya, with no arguing." Crimson held out her right hand. "I place my trust and life in your hands."

"Your life..."

"What? Do you want me to commit suicide again?"

"Yeah, Crimson, as if I'm really going to make you pregnant..."

"Thought so. Anyway, truce?" Kaiba and Yugi and Crimson looked at each other. Yugi readily stuck out his hand and took Crimson's. Kaiba was reluctant. Finally, he reached out his hand and took Crimson's. He made sure not to take Yugi's, as if it was one sign of defiance. Crimson rolled her eyes.

"Okay," she announced, getting to her feet. Around her the red-tinged wasteland disappeared, replaced with the endless black world they were trapped in. Crimson looked around and squinted into the distance.

"The birds!" she gasped. "They're way ahead of us!"

"I'm surprised that we can still see them," Bakura said, as he and Yugi raced after them. After a second, Kaiba and Crimson followed. The four raced against the clock to catch up to the White Ravens. As they ran, Crimson turned to Kaiba.

"I was wondering..." she said. Kaiba looked at her with an arched eyebrow. "What you said... and what happened between Seth and Bianca in the past..." Crimson twirled a strand of her black hair, jogging. "You know the whole thing about _why_ she committed suicide... it's been bothering me... that isn't _really_ going to happen... you won't really..." Kaiba smirked. "Oh no... evil smirk...I don't like that..." Kaiba's mouth formed into an awkward grin, one that could be classified more as a very evil smirk.

"Well... I guess I could arrange for that if you _wanted_..."

Yugi and Bakura had gotten considerably ahead of them by now. Within a few seconds of this remark by Kaiba, they heard a yell-shriek-gasp noise, a "hey" and then...

"You pervert!"


	18. Hands of the Dark

Chapter 18 - Hands of the Dark

Yugi and Bakura, obviously, had no idea what just happened. Since it was normal routine for Crimson and Kaiba to have something or another going on, whether good or bad, they decided to leave it alone.

"That stupid jerk!" Crimson growled, arms crossed across her chest. She walked faster and caught up to Bakura and Yugi, muttering and blushing.

"Um..." Bakura started. "So..."

"Can you believe it?" Crimson demanded, turning to Yugi and Bakura. They jumped slightly at her loud exclamation. "Kaiba is such a...pervert!" Yugi and Bakura looked at each other. Crimson was mad.

"What makes you think he's a pervert?" Yugi queried.

"Yeah, what makes you think that?" Kaiba asked, smirking as he caught up to the three. Crimson clenched her teeth.

"I have reasons!" Crimson continued to rant about his behavior. Kaiba just looked at her like she was amusing the heck out of him, while Yugi and Bakura covered their ears.

"Watch out, Yasmine, you might make someone deaf."

"Kaiba! If you dare call me Yasmine..." Crimson stopped as she realized the more she talked, the more she would be provoked. Instead, she looked away and tried to concentrate on something else. Unfortunately, the black endless world was nowhere near distracting.

"Anyway...you are such a pain!" Crimson said. Kaiba smirked. Yugi and Bakura blinked. Everything grew quiet again.

* * *

Raiya sighed with relief as she leaned back in her black chair. Looking through her Crystal ball, she had seen Crimson's narrow rescue. Of course, she had also seen much after that, but she had no sense of humor unless it came to killing the pathetic fools that had come into her Realm.

"That was close," she mused. "Perhaps those Mortals are more intelligent than I give them credit for. That is very interesting. Still, it is time yet again." Raiya snapped her fingers and servants rushed to her. They had recently experienced her wrath and did not dare to try their mistress.

"What is it you desire?" they asked politely. Raiya looked and them and smiled slightly.

"Well, well," she said in her eerie blend of a voice, "it seems you have learned your manners. You all are lucky the Mortals are smarter than they look." The servants nodded as politely as possible.

"We are sorry. Now, what is next in our plan?"

"Let me see... well, first of all we have lured them to this place with Pegasus. Then, we sent a few monsters to test their skill. Then, we captured two annoying brunettes and a blonde. And...I nearly crushed them all between those two rocks. It seems that they've gone through quite enough. This is the last prank, then, before they face me."

"So...what do you suppose we do?" Raiya thought for a moment, her hand raking through her long black hair.

"We'll give them a big hand for getting this far..." she finally replied, sending her servants an evil grin. They carefully grinned back.

* * *

Yugi, Bakura, Crimson, and Kaiba finally caught up to the birds, slowing down their brisk pace to a walk. Bakura finally got through to Crimson and Kaiba, reminding them about the Truce. Now, Crimson was angry with Bakura for mentioning it. Kaiba shrugged and continued giving Crimson that weird smirk that made her blush and go furious at the same time.

"This is starting to get boring again," Yugi complained. That was unlike him... he never complained. The Shadow Realm was getting to him. Crimson glanced at him with raised eyebrows. She knew he didn't complain.

"Are you...okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "It's just... we've been here for who knows how long. I'm starting to lose hope we'll ever rescue Téa, Joey, Téa, Tristan, Mokuba, or Téa."

"You said Téa three times, Yugi."

"Oh did I? Anyway, it feels so empty without them. We're down to half our group and resorting to following birds." Crimson nodded, though she was a bit worried.

_Yugi has a Millennium Item... and yet, the Shadow Realm has started to bug him. If that is the case, what about Kaiba? He doesn't have any Item. As much as I hate to admit it, I really do like him and I would be devastated if anything happened to him._

"Crimson," Bakura whispered. "There's something wrong with Yugi."

"I know."

"He never complains, and he never loses hope. He's always our encourager...with the Heart of the Cards and all. What's wrong with him? And lately... I've been feeling a bit depressed and confused myself. At certain times, I felt like giving up and dying if there was a way to just do that." Crimson bit her lip.

"This could be Raiya's tricks. We can't give up hope, though. We have to help our friends."

"Has Kaiba felt this?"

"I'm not sure..." Crimson trailed off and looked over at Kaiba. His shoulders were slumped and he looked as if the only reason he was walking was because he was too tired to stop his feet. Crimson herself felt like there was no point to life. She felt like she had the first time she looked at her surroundings in Duelist Kingdom. The world was so big and she was so small...

_Snap out of it! There could be danger at any time! You have to keep your attention span up! The Shadow Realm is draining your energy._ Crimson went over to Kaiba and put an arm around his waist.

"Come on! Kaiba!" He turned and gave her a death glare. Crimson immediately removed her arm. "Will you act normal? Oh...wait...death glares are normal. I mean... like... annoy me!" He shrugged.

"Whatever..." Crimson raised her eyebrows. _Right...this isn't working. We need something to boost our energy. Come on Raiya! If you really want to face us, give us another challenge._ As if Raiya had heard her thoughts, the ground started shaking violently. Kaiba, Bakura, and Yugi immediately perked up.

"What's going on?" Yugi asked.

"I don't know!" Crimson replied before falling to her knees. The others tried to keep their balance.

"This is...really...interesting," Bakura remarked. "I wonder what...whoa!" Bakura jumped out of the way as the ground under him exploded, a tree rising up where Bakura had just stood. Around them, similar trees flew up from the ground and reached up for the sky. The trembling stopped.

"This..." Crimson said, "...is strange." She looked around at the trees that seemed to box them in a little clearing of grass. The trees were so thick and so tall that no way out was visible.

"Is it another one of Raiya's tricks?" Kaiba asked.

"Anything could be Raiya's trick," Crimson answered. "Now... something is going to happen. We have to be ready for it." Just then, something moved under their feet. A tree stump emerged from the ground. Four swords materialized on top of it.

"Right..." Bakura said.

"Those are pretty swords..." Crimson commented. The other three gathered around the stump.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Crimson bit her lip and judged the swords. A trail breeze blew across the area, making the grass seem like a sea of green waves. The sky had turned to a dark blue, though only a small portion of it was visible from below the tree. Crimson slipped a strand of her loose hair behind her ear. It was a very eerie feeling inside her head at the moment.

"Do you guys feel like something...strange is going to happen?" she asked.

"I sense something," Yugi said. "A Dark energy. It's different from the rest of the Shadow Realm." Suddenly, birds from the trees began to chirp furiously. A flapping of wings signaled that they had begun departure. Crimson, startled, clung to Kaiba's shirt.

"Let...go..."

"Sorry Mr. I'm-not-afraid-of-anything..." A rustling from the trees made her yelp and cling harder.

"Let...go!"

"Shut up-,"

"Truce!" Bakura reminded. "You have a truce." Crimson let go of Kaiba with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm not afraid!" she declared.

"You know..." Yugi interrupted. "Maybe we should take the swords to protect ourselves..."

"I don't know... maybe we shouldn't touch them..." Bakura warned.

"We have to try it," Crimson reasoned. "We can't get out of here, and these swords have to be here for a reason." Without waiting for anyone's consent, she reached over and picked the silver sword decked with rubies. She fingered it in her hand. It was lightweight and pretty small.

"Nothing happened." Kaiba also picked up a sword. It was blue decorated in silver ornate designs. It was longer than Crimson's. Again, nothing happened. Bakura chose his sword, one that was half black and half white, with pearls attached to the boundary of the two colors. The three stared at Yugi and the last sword, purple and plain.

"Well..." Yugi sighed. "I guess there's no harm to..." Yugi picked up his sword and exchanged it between both hands. "It's rather heavy..." Crimson's yelp and a clash of the sword stopped him. They turned to stare at her... or rather at her sword.

"It's glowing!" Bakura observed. Crimson carefully picked up the sword from the ground, glancing questioningly at the glowing green aura. Kaiba's sword emitted the same glow, as did Yugi's and Bakura's.

"Um... what now?" Before anyone could answer Crimson's question, the ground shook violently. From the trees appeared four pairs of black-gloved hands, each twice as big as bears. Each pair faced one of the gang, cracking knuckles.

"I least expected this..." Yugi admitted. The four pairs of hands, without further warning, shot straight at the four. They ducked just in time. The eight hands crashed into the stump, sending wood pieces flying everywhere. One pair recovered quickly, flying at Kaiba. Scrambling to his feet, he slashed at it with his sword. He repeated his move again and again. Crimson ran to an open spot. Holding the sword above her head with both hands, she eyed the approaching pair of hands.

_What is Raiya thinking! None of us have really fought with swords before._ The pair of hands walked on its fingers toward her. If this situation hadn't been in the Shadow Realm, Crimson would have laughed. Instead, she stared at it determinedly, tightening her grip on the sword. The hands lunged forward, and Crimson released her wrath.

Meanwhile, Yugi and Bakura were standing back to back, fighting pairs of hands that came from opposite directions. Yugi was having a difficult time, trying to make his heavy sword hit the hands. They merely shook a finger at him every time he missed. Bakura, however, was exactly the opposite. He was an expert at the sword. The hands he was battling seemed a bit tired at this time. _It's a good thing I took fencing classes._ He took one more swipe at the hand, sending it flying back at the trees. They retreated back into the darkness, having been cut up and all.

Bakura turned his attention back on the other hands. Crimson was doing pretty well with hers, making up sword moves that didn't really exist. Yugi was doing his best, though anyone could see he was incapable of wielding his sword without using both hands and all his strength. Kaiba...was in trouble.

Kaiba was battling one hand with his own fists while the other hand tried to shake out the sword that was stabbed through its palm. The other hand grabbed Kaiba and he tried to beat it down with his fists. Pitiful, it didn't work. Bakura knew he had to help. He ran forward and rammed his sword into the wrist of the hand holding Kaiba. It let go of him immediately, but swung around. The sword was thrown out and Bakura went with it.

"Help!" Kaiba turned to see Crimson thrown backward against a tree, her sword clanging to the ground. One of the hands took the sword, preparing to launch it at Crimson.

"No!" Kaiba took wrenched his sword from the withering hand and hurried to Crimson. Unknown to him, the hand followed him. Bakura saw.

"Watch out!" Bakura ran after him. The hand gathered a globe of black energy in its palm. Bakura ran faster. "KAIBA!" Kaiba leaned down next to Crimson, sword ready to fend off the two hands in front of him. At the sound of his name, he turned just as the hand launched the globe of black energy.

Before Kaiba could even think of shielding himself, Bakura jumped between the attack. The energy melted his sword instantly and wrapped around him. In a flash, his image broke into a million pieces and melted into the ground.

"BAKURA!"


	19. Raiya, Mistress of the Shadows

Chapter 19 - Raiya, Mistress of the Shadows

"No!" Raiya screamed with rage. Her servants shivered around her. The pair of hands that were damaged even quaked with fear. The servants bandaging them up stopped, dropping the cloth in horror. Raiya's face was shining with fury. Her usually pale cheeks were red. She narrowed her eyes.

"_Fools_!" she cried, knocking the crystal ball to the floor, breaking it in pieces. The servants took their cue and fled the chamber. The bandaged hands trembled as she walked toward them, radiating in fury.

"Can't you do a simple task?" she asked menacingly. The hands quivered and tried to gesture something, but they were shaking too much to make any sense. That was the last straw. In a blind fury, Raiya summoned her powers and used all her might to blow up the chamber. The castle groaned as the ground was blasted up in Dark flames. Raiya used more and more power, every time she used more another part of the floor shot up in a column of broken rock and dust. By the time she was done, the chamber looked much like a stone graveyard. Raiya wasn't satisfied.

"Argh!" Raiya slammed a fist into a nearby wall. It exploded in a shower of stones. Raiya herself was thrown back, hitting the floor with a groan.

_I have left it to the fools long enough... it is time I faced Yasmine myself._

* * *

"No!" Crimson screamed. She tried to save Bakura but it was too late. Instead, she was met with three hands cracking their knuckles and preparing a deadly black orb of magic.

"Crimson!" Kaiba took Crimson's waist and pinned her to the tree trunk as the three energy blasts hit where she had been standing. She was still in shock from witnessing Bakura being blasted to pieces. Yugi rushed over to the two of them. All six hands cornered them against the tree trunk. One of them had Bakura's sword, another Yugi's, and yet another held Crimson's. Kaiba still held his sword, but it was chipped and blunt from being hit on the floor a million times.

"Kaiba..." Crimson whispered, "do something!" She clutched his collar in fear.

"You do something..." Yugi said. "Your Item... your Item..."

"I can't, it's too dangerous..."

"More dangerous than being faced with six giant hands, three with swords?" Crimson was spared the necessity of answering the question. Suddenly, lightening flashed into the area. Black bolts of energy hammered each of the six hands. They fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, smoking. Then, four more blasts of lightening emerged from the sky of black, hitting the middle of the grassy plain.

"What the...?" The ground split and rocks flew into the air. A tall woman with black tresses emerged out of a cloud of smoke. She held an air of boldness as she stepped nearer to Crimson.

"Well, well, Yasmine, it appears you are stronger than I have thought," she snickered. Her voice sounded even crueler with the blend of three voices, chilling the three teenagers to the bone.

"Raiya..." Crimson whispered, tightening her grip on Kaiba's collar. His eyes narrowed.

"So this is the Raiya of whom you speak," he said. He studied the Mistress of Shadows. He had to admit she had a strange resemblance to Crimson. After all, she had long dark hair, long lashes, and dark eyes to match. And, she had that look that made anyone who looked upon her shiver with fear. Crimson could do that too when she was angry.

"I was growing impatient..." Raiya said, hands on her slender hips and chin held high. "After all, Yasmine Motou, keeper of the Millennium Anklet, should be powerful enough to stop me."

"Tell me Raiya!" Crimson demanded. "Where are my friends? Mokuba, Grandpa, Téa, Tristan, Joey, and Bakura! How dare you kidnap them?" Raiya chuckled, and even the smoke around her seemed to shrivel in fear.

"They are lost in the Shadow Realm somewhere," she replied. "If you want them, you'll need to find the Sajuka Tree..."

"You destroyed it!" Crimson exclaimed angrily. Raiya clicked her tongue.

"Nope, that was a copy. A fake... a decoy." Raiya's voice became softer and more threatening. "Only an idiot would think I would destroy a tree I tended myself since I was a child. But then again, I killed my own mother so what chance would a tree have?" Crimson growled.

"You're evil."

"Of course... now why else would I be here? I am Raiya, Mistress of the Shadows. My very soul is corrupt with Darkness. You seriously didn't come here to just figure that out. I know what you want..."

"Then give it!"

"Tsk! Tsk! Not so fast... don't be a fool. I wouldn't make you go through all this to simply give them to you. There's a catch..." Raiya chuckled and snapped her fingers. The trees around the group vanished. A sea of black once again replaced the terrain. Still, it wasn't pitch black because each person could clearly see each other with no visible source of light.

Raiya snapped her fingers again and chains flew out of everywhere randomly, seeming to start miles in the distance. Crimson, Kaiba, and Yugi gasped as the links coiled around their legs, pulling them back from each other. When the chains stopped moving, they stood five yards away from each other, one in each corner of a square, Raiya being the last.

"It's nice that you know your shapes, Raiya," Kaiba snarled. "Now let us go!" Raiya simply chuckled, her dark hair flying in the absence of wind.

"Are you afraid?" she asked. Kaiba narrowed his eyes.

"Since when have I been afraid?" Raiya smirked.

"Good. Now, we are going to play a Duel Monsters game..." Kaiba smirked, Crimson groaned, and Yugi nodded determinedly. "Now, this will be fun. You three will go against me and the winner gets all six Souls. Deal?"

"Deal!"

"Okay, now here's the catch. It's not a simple you versus me game. That's why we're in a square. We're Dueling against each other, all four against all four. No teams here. Each player is against the other."

"That's crazy!" Yugi interjected. "Kaiba, Crimson, and I are a team. You can't split us up."

"I just did, Yugi," Raiya said. "Now, here are the rules. First, as I said, we are all playing against each other. I am going to make sure that is the case. Therefore, a rule of attack is that you cannot attack the same person twice until you have attacked the other two people."

"No!" Crimson cried.

"Second, a person may be attacked only once before their next turn. That will keep you all from ganging up on me after I lose a monster. Third, anyone may share cards with each other. That will keep your complaints to a minimum, I hope. Any other rules will be explained when the time comes."

"You are insane!" Crimson cried. "We will beat you regardless of how many rules you impose." Raiya snickered, a twinkle of her soulless eyes.

_Try it_, she thought. With another snap of her fingers, Duel Disks appeared on all four of them. Crimson inserted her Deck. In her mind, she could hear the roar of a monster deep within her deck. White shimmering scales and threatening blue eyes...the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

_Raiya will be sorry she ever challenged me!_

"Let's Duel!"


	20. Duel of the Shadow Part I

Chapter 20 - Duel of the Shadows Part I

"It's time to Duel," Raiya announced. Yugi looked at her with more determination than he had ever had in his life. His grandpa, his friends, and his very soul depended on this Duel. If he had to Duel to get back those souls, he would. Raiya was evil, and Yugi excused no one from committing such acts as she had.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at Raiya. He hated her for what she had done to Mokuba, since it was she that held his soul captive for the moment. He had dedicated his life to protecting his little brother, and Raiya would pay for intruding.

Crimson bit her lip as she and the others drew five cards, their Life Points climbing to eight thousand. She didn't know about Yugi and Kaiba, but she had faced Raiya before. Not in a Duel of cards, but a Duel of power. Crimson had tried everything to learn about her constant recurring dream, and she had even traveled to the Shadow Realm to do it. Lord Ryu and Mistress Raiya ruled the Shadow Realm like hunters watching their prey, eagerly searching for anyone to torture. Unfortunately, inexperienced first-timer Crimson had not fared so well against the two of them. If she hadn't tripped and fallen through a Mortal Realm portal, she would now be a soulless shell.

_Enough thoughts about the past. Focus on the present for it determines your future. Jeez, I sound like a fortune cookie._ Crimson smirked. Nothing like a little humor to add levity to a situation that needed it most.

"I think I shall start first," Kaiba declared, drawing a card and setting one face down in Defense. "For the moment, this is all I can do..." He looked over to Crimson and nodded. His card glowed on the field.

"Okay then," she announced, "I think I shall copy what Seto just did and add my own Defense to the field." A glowing, rectangular card appeared on her field. Raiya sighed and drew her card.

"The two of you are boring," she commented. "I think I'll play a monster named Lexi the Witch on the field and end my turn. After all, I'm not allowed to attack until everyone has a monster on the field." Raiya turned her piercing eyes on Yugi, who felt a shiver of fear he tried to ease away. "Your turn." The way she said it, in a soft cutting tone, seemed to imply that she was not enjoying the Duel so far.

"As you wish," Yugi said, drawing a card. He studied his cards; his young mind quickly thinking of a strategy. He could sense the spirit of his Puzzle encouraging him in the back of his mind. "I think I shall end my turn by simply placing a monster face down." Like Kaiba and Crimson, Yugi now had a yellow, shimmering rectangle in front of him. Raiya narrowed her eyes, her cold glare piercing both Crimson and Yugi. Kaiba was amused that a woman could imitate his trademark expression so well.

"Well, this is a very interesting Duel," Kaiba said sarcastically. He drew a card and placed it face down. "Another Defense, and then end my turn." Raiya's cold expression did not waver. Crimson smirked. Maybe they could annoy the wits out of Raiya, but she was likely to take action soon.

"I draw and place a monster face down." Crimson looked at her newly drawn card, Polymerization. She remembered when she had selected it. _I wonder when fate will let me use it..._ She crossed her arms and looked over at Raiya, who still looked as irritated as ever.

"Okay then," Raiya said in a very annoyed voice. "Since everyone now has a monster, I believe it's time for a little action around here. I know that you are planning to annoy me, but it's not going to work." Raiya smirked with a flash of her black eyes. Kaiba shook his head slightly. Girls were too flashy with their smirks. The expression was meant to be threatening, not attractive.

"Bring it on," he whispered. Raiya drew her card and shrugged, placing it in her hand casually.

"I have some tricks up my sleeve," she said. "And they are not to your advantage for the moment. Lexi... let's see what you are made of. Go and attack Crimson's face down monster now." The Witch obeyed instantly, for being a creature of the Dark she knew the danger of defying her Mistress. Raising her star-crested wand, she sent waves of Dark magic toward the card. Crimson was thrown back slightly as her card vaporized. Raiya rolled her eyes.

"What I expected from an amateur," she said. She bit her lip and raised her eyebrows with contempt. "Nice try." Lexi returned back to her place, looking fearfully at her Mistress. No one who looked twice at Raiya's expression would dare step out of place. Crimson felt vulnerable without a monster, but Raiya's rule protected her for the time being. Not like Yugi and Kaiba were really going to attack her anyway.

"My turn," Yugi said, drawing his card. "It is unwise to place a monster with only twelve hundred points on the field. My Beaver Warrior that I have just drawn will crush it easily." Raiya flashed her special smirk.

"Foolish..." Raiya chuckled, her voice sounding even eerier. "That's a good way to describe you, Yugi."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when I told you the rules? Let's see... there's one about not being attacked more than once before your next turn, another about not attacking one person more than once without attacking all the rest, and then another about sharing cards... oops, must've forgotten a very _key_ rule that makes this Duel all the more special."

"Raiya!" Crimson growled. Raiya had forgotten on purpose, of course! It made sense. Raiya would do anything to surprise her opponents.

"Well... you see, notice that my monster is Dark and so is the world around us?" She motioned to the endless black of the Shadow Realm with the hand that held her cards. "It would make obvious sense that the Realm should support its children. Every Dark monster gains five hundred attack points for every attack they participate in." Raiya grinned as her monster's attack went up to seventeen hundred.

"Hmf!" Crimson huffed to herself. "That's a lot more than Raiya seems to convince us it is with her calmness. We need to destroy Lexi fast!"

"Okay then," Yugi continued. "I guess I'll just play my warrior in Defense and end my turn."

"I guess it's my turn," Kaiba said, drawing a card and looking down at it. "I think I shall play this face down." He placed his card on the field, and a glowing card appeared behind his other monsters. It was Polymerization, and was key to his master plan.

"Well, my turn again!" Crimson drew her card. It wasn't very useful, so she kept it in her hand. And, to keep on the pattern, she copycatted Kaiba. _Polymerization is a useful card; I think I'll play it face down. I wonder what Kaiba placed on the field..._

"Boring!" Raiya said sarcastically. "Face down, face down!" She lowered her tone to a hushed voice. "I may have to use other means to lure you out of that protective shell you are making." She drew her card and placed it face down, looking at it with a sly grin. Mystical Space Typhoon - an excellent choice for protection. She turned her glare back on and looked at Yugi. "Your turn!" Lexi twirled her wand with a wave of her navy blue cloak. Strings of black magic hit bulls-eye on Yugi's face down monster, sending him sliding back a few inches. It was destroyed instantly.

"Pathetic!" she said warningly. Yugi paid no heed as he drew his card, placing two face down on the field behind his remaining monster. He motioned for Kaiba to start his turn.

Kaiba drew a card and looked warily over the four-Duelist field. Everyone had at least one monster and one card face down. The game was going pretty smoothly and quickly so far. He meant to keep it that way.

"Okay, I'm ending this soon!" Kaiba announced. "I flip Lord of Dragons and use Flute of Summoning Dragon!" The Lord of Dragons appeared on the field, brandishing cape and horn. Holding it to his lips, he gave it a big blow. Raiya looked nonchalantly at it, deciding not to use her card at the moment.

"Now!" Kaiba declared. "I can summon two Blue-Eyes from my hand to the field!" As he spoke, flashes of light burst from his cards. Two identical heads and bodies formed, silhouettes of power unimaginable. "And lastly, I use my face down Polymerization to fuse them together to create the Double Dragon!"

"Uh-uh-uh!" Raiya clicked her tongue. "I counter with my Mystical Space Typhoon." Her card rose up on the field, emitting a swirling blue tornado that crashed through the Polymerization. Kaiba cursed under his breath, and Crimson mouthed "no".

"Oh well, that's a minor setback. I can still attack you with my Blue- Eyes!" Upon his command, the majestic Dragon rose into the air and launched a sting of White Lightening at Lexi. She was destroyed and Raiya's LP dropped to 7200. Kaiba smirked at her. She returned a sly smile. Her opponents were so naïve.

"You would think," she started. "That the Shadow Realm would do more than just strengthen its Dark creatures..." She sent her smirk towards Kaiba, never faltering. "Wouldn't you?" Kaiba's smirk turned into a scowl.

"And what would that mean?" he asked coldly. Raiya chuckled slyly and pointed to his Dragon.

"Are you sure he is as powerful as you think he is?" Kaiba looked down at his Duel Disk. Sure enough, his Dragon had only 2500 attack points.

"How dare you..."

"In addition to helping Dark monsters, this Realm will decrease all Light monsters attack power by five hundred for every attack!" Kaiba growled, and Yugi and Crimson gasped.

"That's unfair!" Crimson sputtered. "You can't tell us all these rules only at the time of your convenience!" Raiya turned to her, eyebrows raised.

"This is my Realm, my Duel, my rules! You are playing for _my_ favor, unless you haven't noticed. It is my choice whether your friends' souls will be returned. I suggest you make use of what I am telling you." Crimson took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She then drew a card to start her turn.

_Raiya is a cheater. We have to win, or I'll never forgive myself. At the rate the Dragon looses points, we won't be able to get enough attacks in, even alternating the attacks between the two. Kaiba's Ultimate Dragon would be a good thing right now, but he no longer has Polymerization._ Crimson looked down at her own face down card and monster. _Unless... we can share cards! But, I can't just give him my Poly. I need to merge it with one of my own monsters... and I think I know which one._ Crimson placed a monster face down and signaled the end of her turn.

"Again with the boring face downs?" Raiya inquired coldly, a glare at Crimson's field. "I thought Kaiba's Polymerizing attempt would be the start of some more exciting Dueling. I guess I'm the only one here with some real talent." Crimson bristled, but said nothing. Raiya drew a card and shrugged.

"I play a card face down and summon Ugo the Dark Warrior to the field." Raiya motioned to Yugi. He drew a card. _Dark Magician. This will be a perfect comeback for Raiya's plan. Unfortunately, I can't use him unless I have two monsters to Tribute, and I only have one._ Yugi placed one monster face down and ended his turn. Kaiba drew his card.

"Well, since I would be only foolish to attack my own teammates, I'll end my turn." Kaiba looked over at Crimson. She placed her finger on the Deck to draw her next card. Suddenly, she heard a roar from deep within her mind. An image of flashy white scales and puissant blue eyes crossed her eyes. _A Blue-Eyes._ She looked down at her card.

"Draw already!" Raiya ordered impatiently. Crimson stared at the card._ Could it be?_ Crimson drew a breath and saw for herself. Just as she had thought, a Dragon stared back from the card.

"Need excitement?" Crimson exclaimed, looking at Raiya. "Then watch carefully... I sacrifice my two face down monsters to summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The two monsters on the field vanished in columns of smoke, replaced by a giant white Dragon.

"So you have Kaiba's last Dragon?" Raiya queried with another of her sly smiles. "What is it, a love gift?" Kaiba rolled his eyes calmly, but Crimson was about to blow. _A love gift? What the hell? Well...was it a love gift...of course no! It was a pity gift. Kaiba thought I couldn't take care of myself._

"Very funny, Raiya. It was a Kick Raiya's Dark Ass gift, and that's what I'm going to do with it. But before that, I think I shall activate my face down Poly to merge my monster with Kaiba's. It's perfectly legal, thanks to your rules." Crimson looked at Raiya to see whether she was cringing or horror-struck at letting such a thing happened. However, Raiya calmly nodded to acknowledge that she did indeed state that rule.

Polymerization rose up on the field. Stars emerged from it and surrounded the three Dragons, creating an immensely bright light that blanketed the entire area. A single Dragon rose into the air, and the head split into three. With a mighty roar, the new Ultimate Dragon settled back down into Crimson's field.

"Now, since Kaiba and I both own this monster, it can switch from my field to his at anytime we wish between turns. But for now, it's staying with me because I'm attacking you with it!" At her command, the Dragon rose into the air and launched a nuclear blast at Raiya. She calmly pushed at button on her Disk.

"I activate Wobaku to protect my monster and my Life Points." Her card activated and the Dragon's attack disintegrated. Crimson cursed as its attack went down to 4300. _Oh well, it's still high._

"My turn, it seems," Raiya said as she drew her card. She rearranged some of the cards in her hand before finally settling on one. "I think I shall use Raigeki. Now I can choose one person's field and rid it of all monsters. I'll choose Yasmine..."

"No!" Crimson cried. It was too late. A large black cloud appeared above her. A single golden lightening flash struck Ultimate Dragon, and it melted to the ground. Crimson was horrified. She had no monsters and no face down cards.

"Now... I can't attack you, even though you're defenseless, because of my own rule. How unfortunate, but I must adhere to my own rules." Raiya's sly smile seemed to indicate otherwise. "Anyway, I'll sacrifice my weak Ugo to summon this face down card." Crimson raised her eyebrows. She knew Raiya was planning something, again.

"My turn," Yugi announced. He drew a card. "I choose to summon my Dark Magician!" His two face down cards melted and a purple figure leaped out from the Shadows, cocking his helmet and twirling his staff. "Now... let's see what you are hiding, Raiya. I attack your face down card!" Raiya smirked as the attack merely bounced back.

"I reveal my Millennium Shield. Nice try, Yugi." Yugi looked down at his LP - 7500 - and looked back up determinedly. His Dark Magician had 3000 attack power.

"At least we know what we're facing now." He rechecked on his two face down Trap cards and ended his turn. Kaiba drew his card.

"I think I'll just switch Lord of Dragons to defense and end my turn." Crimson began her own turn by drawing a card, still angry that she had led to the Dragon's destruction.

"I'll place a monster face down and end my turn." Raiya drew her card.

"I'll place a card face down and end my turn." Yugi drew his card. Raiya looked over at him as he though about his next plan of attack.

"What should I do..." Yugi whispered.

"You know, Yugi, you can attack me if you want," Raiya offered. "I don't really care, since it won't hurt either of us." Yugi looked at her suspiciously. "But... it will help your Magician become stronger. What do you say, this is a limited time offer..." Yugi looked over at Crimson, who shook her head furiously. Kaiba merely looked at him.

_What do I have to lose? I have two face down cards just in case._

"Okay, Raiya, though I think you have something planned. Nevertheless, I'm ready for it." Raiya grinned. Yugi let his Dark Magician unleash an attack upon Millennium Shield, even though it resulted in a draw. Raiya merely looked calm as Dark Magician gained five hundred attack points. The big plan the other three anticipated never came.

"Your turn, Kaiba," Raiya said. He narrowed his eyes while he drew.

"I think I should do something instead of just sitting here. If I ever want to attack you again, Raiya, I better attack Crimson and Yugi so I can get my second chance." He looked at Crimson. "It's only a face down monster, no danger right?" Crimson nodded.

"I don't really care," Crimson said. "Just attack me. I have more monsters to put down. It will get you closer to attacking Raiya." Kaiba nodded, and switched his Lord to attack mode. He attacked Crimson, and the face down card was destroyed. Lord of Dragons now had seventeen hundred attack points.

"That was so interesting," Crimson said sarcastically. The Duel was starting to get rather boring. She hoped Raiya would kick things up a notch soon. "I place a monster face down and end my turn." Crimson turned to Raiya, who drew a card and signaled Yugi to begin his Duel.

"Go ahead and attack me again," Raiya said in a bored tone, though anyone could detect her sly smile. Yugi drew a card and looked at the Shield. _Raiya's knows her monster will be destroyed this time. She's definitely going to use her card, but I don't want to miss this chance. I'll use my cards in case anything comes up._

"I will Raiya, but only for the sake of lightening up this Duel." Raiya smirked. The Dark Magician rose into the air and destroyed the Shield.

"Just what I wanted! I activate Enchanted Javelin! I get 3500 extra LP." Crimson was outraged.

"How dare you use my favorite card, or even have it in your evil deck!" she exclaimed angrily. Raiya smirked at her. Yugi, however, was smirking as well.

"Did you not see me activate my card, Raiya?" he asked. Raiya's smirk quickly faded.

"What?"

"I activated Bad Reaction to Simochi. This card lets me reverse the effect of your Enchanted Javelin, making it hurt your LP instead." Raiya's eyes widened as the javelin appeared before her, turning into a knife with the help of putrid, green smoke. Suddenly, it rushed through her. Raiya fell to her knees, knife through her stomach in pain. Black blood poured from her wound.

"All monsters and cards are real!" Crimson gasped. The knife soon vanished. Raiya's LP was now 3700, while Kaiba and Crimson still had their original amount. Yugi had 7500. Raiya got to her feet, radiating in fury.

"You will pay!" she vowed. Kaiba drew his card.

"I'll keep my face down monster in defense and switch my Lord to defense as well. Crimson, your turn." Crimson nodded, happier. Raiya was nearing defeat. It wouldn't be long now.

"I place another face down monster and end my turn," she said. She turned to an enraged Raiya.

"You...will...pay..." Raiya drew a card, her glare softening into a sly smile yet again. "Now I will get my revenge!" Raiya slapped two cards onto her Duel Disk. "I summon Black-Eyed Enchantress to the field! Then I play, Reocu!"

"Oh no!" Yugi cried. "The Paradox brothers used that on Joey and me once."

"What does it do?" Crimson queried.

"You'll see..." Raiya said darkly, her chuckle turning into a cackle. She raised a finger to the sky and three orbs floated down. With a flash, they sent a string of energy towards Yugi, Kaiba, and Crimson. They moaned, falling to their hands and knees as half their energy was absorbed. The collected energy transferred to the Enchantress, who drank up the power.

"What?" Crimson said weakly, struggling to look up.

"I can take half your LP and use it for my own monster..." Raiya explained.

"What?" Crimson cried. "No!" Thunder and lightning flashed. Raiya stood triumphantly in front of her powered up monster.

"This is what you get for messing with me!" Raiya pointed to her monster, now equipped with 13550 attack points! Crimson and Kaiba had four thousand LP, with Yugi a little behind them.

"This is the end!" Raiya burst into laughter yet again, and the Shadow Realm celebrated around her...


	21. Duel of the Shadow Part II

Chapter 21 - Duel of the Shadows Part II

Crimson gasped. The Enchantress loomed behind Raiya, their matching black eyes glowing with power. They looked exactly alike, and it was as if the power the Enchantress got was as equal to the new energy boost that supplied Raiya.

Crimson struggled to her feet. This wasn't anything new. Every time her Anklet had gone berserk, she had been stripped of every single bit of energy. She was used to this kind of situation. Plus, she still felt like she had half her energy left. It would be enough. Crimson knew she could figure out a way to destroy Raiya.

Yugi was not as rumpled either. Having another spirit in his body and Shadow Realm experience gave him the strength he needed. Plus, he had faced Reocu before. He knew that even though this was a big loss, it was not that hard to get out of it. The Enchantress...now that might be a problem.

Kaiba wasn't in as good as shape as the others. Of course, he had experienced feeling like this when he was a young teenager, slaving hours upon hours on studies for his stepfather's satisfaction. If he couldn't stay awake long enough to do all his work, then he was beaten awake. However, this experience was a bit more straining. He had never Dueled in the Shadow Realm before and he barely believed in its magic. After being hit by that blow, it seemed as if half his life had been eaten away.

"Don't get too confident, Raiya," Crimson shouted, shaking her head to get the last dizzy feeling out. "We'll still win. Your monster might be powerful, but every move in Duel Monsters has a weak point as well as a strong point. Your monster's attack might be off the charts, and our LP might be down to half, but so is yours. We're all back on the same boat here, but you have the bigger end for your bigger monster. However, the boat can easily sink, and the heavier side goes down first." Raiya chuckled, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Nice metaphor," she said. "But it's not going to save you. The Shadow Realm isn't some literary device in a story...it's real! Now, I believe it is Yugi's turn." Yugi nodded, drawing his card. Raiya only had her monster on the field, nothing else. He sighed when he realized it was a Dark monster. Raiya's twisted rule applied to it as well. Yugi had no choice but to defend.

"I switch my monster to defense mode and end my turn." Yugi's Dark Magician crouched, holding his staff on the ground. Yugi knew he had one face down card on the field, but he couldn't use it unless Raiya attacked. Yugi signaled for Kaiba to begin his turn.

Kaiba drew his card, trying to focus in on what it was. His eyesight seemed to waver between fuzzy lines, and everything looked darker than it usually should have. He squinted and shook his head. It wasn't a good card.

"I have two monsters in defense, so I'll end my turn." He turned to Crimson. She nodded.

Crimson drew and frowned. It wasn't what she needed either. She quickly looked over her field. Like Kaiba, she had only two monsters in defense. It was good enough for the time being. She signaled for Raiya to begin with a scowl. Raiya merely smirked back.

"Well then, it seems you guys are giving up hope," Raiya said slyly, drawing a card. "It seems I might have to add a little excitement to this party. Enchantress attack!" With a swish of a black robe, her monster flew into the air and rained back sparks on Kaiba's Lord of Dragons. He snarled as the monster was destroyed. Luckily, his LP was untouched. The Enchantress gained five hundred LP, bringing it up to 14050.

"I love my rules," Raiya stated with her trademark sly smile. Yugi frowned, drawing his next card.

"I pass," he muttered, brooding over Raiya's words. Were they hopeless? It sure seemed like it. Not many monsters in the game could match the power the Enchantress had. Sure, it wasn't invincible, but it seemed a lot like it.

"I pass as well," Kaiba said, drawing a card. Raiya raised her eyebrows. She was enjoying the Duel now that it was in her favor. She loved it when things went her own Dark way.

"I don't have much of a choice either," Crimson admitted, not even looking at her next drawn card. It was a weak monster, not even worth putting on the field. She had to admit, things looked hopeless. Or maybe it was how Raiya wanted it. Normally, Crimson would have said Raiya was foolish to equip her monster like that and someone would likely use Magic and Trap cards to destroy it. But at the moment, it seemed like there was no choice but to surrender.

"No, we can't surrender!" she whispered furiously. "Our friends and ourselves are at stake here. We can't lose. Oh, I hope Kaiba and Yugi aren't thinking of giving up!"

"My turn!" Raiya cried happily, her black eyes sparkling with twisted pleasure. "First, I use my second Mystical Space Typhoon on Yugi's face down card. Now, it's his turn to be attacked!" Yugi's card was obliterated in a whirlwind of purple swirls. He braced himself as the Enchantress let out a string of black magic, engulfing his dark Magician. With a moan, his monster shattered into a million pieces. Smoke surrounded Yugi and he coughed, leaving him defenseless. Raiya gave him her sly smile.

"Don't give up!" Crimson shouted. Yugi nodded, though his eyes showed that he no longer had the hope and determination he had started out with. The Shadow Realm was taking its toll. Yugi drew a card and set it in defense on the field. He looked to Kaiba to begin his turn. Kaiba drew.

"I guess I'll place this in defense," he said, putting down his card. "I end my turn." Crimson noticed his voice sounded very tired, like he didn't care about the Duel any longer. She herself felt like wandering the Shadow Realm would be a better choice than to continue this worthless Duel.

"No!" she insisted to herself. "I will not give up! Never! It is my fault that everyone was sucked into this. If I hadn't come after them in Duelist Kingdom, this wouldn't have happened. Raiya is doing this on purpose, trying to break our purpose of fighting on. She didn't listen when I told her there was a downfall to every Monster, and now she's going to regret it." Crimson drew from her Deck, hoping for a miracle. It was what she received.

"Alright!" Crimson shouted, nearly jumping around. Raiya's eyes lost their sparkle. "Beat this Raiya! I drew the card Miracle! For half of my LP and a sacrifice of one monster, I'm allowed to deduct your monster's attack power from your Life Points." Raiya's face grew paler than it ever had been. Crimson didn't give her much time to react. She doubted even Kaiba and Yugi figured out what was going on before she slapped the card on her Duel Disk.

"Activate Magic card Miracle!" Thousands of dancing sparks flew from the card as it appeared on the field. Crimson let them surround her face down monster, turning it into more sparks. Combined with half of Crimson's LP, the sparks flew towards the Enchantress. Raiya watched in horror as the sparks merged with her monster's outfit, turning her gown into a long gold dress. The Enchantress rounded on Raiya.

"Ready?" Crimson asked, her own sly smile accompanying. She snapped her fingers and the monster released its attack. Raiya screamed as it hit her, reducing her LP to 0 in seconds. A bright light burst from her and the whole Shadow Realm turned white. Crimson, Kaiba, and Yugi braced themselves from the brightness while trying to keep from blowing away in the harsh wind. Finally, everything quieted down.

"Raiya?" Crimson inquired. She got no response. Instead, the chains around her feet vanished. With relief, she rushed to her friends.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly. Yugi nodded, resting his hands on his knees and panting. Kaiba looked ready to fall over.

"Nice...tree..." Yugi commented, pointing to a bright green tree with purple blossoms that appeared. Crimson gasped; it was the Sajuka tree. She left her two friends and walked closer to the tree standing alone in the middle of golden light. It almost seemed to wave to her as the leaves and flowers rippled in the light breeze that somehow filled the Realm.

"Will you be able to bring everyone back?" Kaiba asked, joining her. Crimson shrugged.

"I guess..." Power flooded her as she released the Anklet. This time, however, the flow of power seemed to blend with her as if she had been using it for ages. The tree's pink fruits started glowing. Six fell off. Where they hit the floor, six bodies appeared.

"JOEY! TÉA! TRISTAN! BAKURA! GRANDPA!" Yugi rushed forward.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba rushed forward. Crimson stood there, blinking for a few minutes and watching everybody hug.

"Everybody!" she cried all of a sudden and rushed forward to join the celebration. Just as they all joined in for a group hug - yes, even Kaiba, though he was mainly holding Mokuba who was holding Crimson - all the Millennium Items activated and everything faded into white light.

* * *

Crimson groaned, blinking her eyes open. She nearly gasped. It was dark outside. If she had remembered, they had left the graveyard early in the morning. All around her, her friends were sprawled on the floor.

"Wake up!" she hissed, shaking all of them awake. They moaned and stretched and got up on their feet.

"We must return to my house, hurry!" Crimson urged.

* * *

"Why that was weird!" Pegasus remarked, looking around. Now why was he outside Kaiba's house while his guards were searching it? One second ago, he was sure he was ordering them to find Kaiba. However, the next second, it felt like there was a huge Shadow that was lifted from his body.

"What is it, Sir?" Pegasus narrowed his eyebrows.

"What are you'll doing? Leave everything where it originally was and return to the Island immediately. We have things to do in Industrial Illusions..."

* * *

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Yasmine Motou!" Crimson cringed as he parents stared her down. They were all in the living room, Yugi, Téa, Tristan, Joey, Serenity, Bakura, Grandpa, Mokuba, and Kaiba. Frankly, this was not the best situation to get in trouble in.

"Okay..." Crimson started, sitting on the back of the couch. "This is really complicated, but let me make this story short. I'm sorry I lied about where I am going and how long I was leaving, but there are a lot of other things I lied about as well. One of them being magic. I am not an ordinary adopted daughter. I have this thing, a Millennium Item, and I have magic." Crimson took a deep breath, eyeing her parents' non-believing glances.

"Anyway, Grandpa, my_ real_ grandfather..." Crimson smiled and Grandpa patted her hand. "...And Mokuba were captured and I went to rescue them. That resulted in all of us being captured, but we got through it. That's why I had to do this. I couldn't put you in danger." Crimson tried to convince her parents by pulling up the leg of her flares and revealing her Item. Her parents gasped.

"So...will you be staying with us or your brother?" Crimson's dad asked. Crimson shrugged.

"I want to stay with you..." Crimson's mother smiled.

"Good, we were hoping that would be the case. Anyway, is that all, dear?"

"Nope!" Crimson got up off the couch and walked over to Serenity.

"You must be Joey's younger sister?"

"Yes..." Crimson smiled, looking over at Joey.

"It's my fault that you guys weren't able to finish the tournament and claim the prize money. I think I shall help you and heal her eyesight."

"Can ya' really do 'dat?" Joey asked. Crimson shook her head, walking over to Téa.

"I can't, but Clarrisa can. She's the Magician of Faith." Téa took her cue and slipped the card out from her Deck, handing it to Crimson. With a slight glow from her Item, the Duel Monster appeared in the room. Serenity and Crimson's parents gasped.

"Where am I? Oh dear, my mother is going to kill me if I don't return home!" Clarrisa looked around. "Crimson?"

"Hello. Sorry, but Mystical Elf went haywire last time...so I had to choose you..." Clarrisa rolled her eyes.

"Girl, you have seriously got to learn how to heal! It is so important. Besides, the teacher is Dian Keto and his sons are so hot! Sorry, digressed for a moment there. You know me... can't keep on topic if you paid me...remember that time when I talked too much and my teacher-,"

"Clarrisa...can we just... get back on track?" Clarrisa nodded.

"Sorry..." Clarrisa walked over and kneeled in front of Serenity.

"This won't hurt a bit, okay? Some people back in my land think that healing by magic hurts! Can you believe that? You know what hurts? Mortal shots... the needles you guys have are so big they hurt like crap...but luckily..."

"Clarrisa..."

"Oh, sorry! Digression master here. Is that a word? Wait, I'd be a digression mistress, since I'm a girl. Master would be like Dragon Master Knight, you know, Aundren. Oh my gosh! He is so sweet it's not even funny..." Clarrisa kept on talking as she placed her palms on the side of Serenity's head, blue strands of magic surrounding them. Crimson shook her head.

"...And you think that he's the only cute one? You have to see Svrion... I wish I could have him but Cy got first dibs... and you _know_ I can't steal my own sister's boyfriend...well, she does steal a lot of things from me... like that time I set my pen on the table..." Clarrisa pulled away her hands.

"What do you think?" Serenity opened her eyes and blinked.

"I...can...I can see!" she exclaimed. Clarrisa grinned.

"I love magic!" Serenity jumped up. Joey ran to her.

"Can ya' really see?"

"Yeah, Joey, this is so awesome!" Crimson gave Clarrisa a high-five and sent her back. There was a small celebration for a few minutes, but was cut off when Kaiba finally got up, straightened his trench coat, and took his brother by the hand.

"Well, I got to get back to work..." Everyone stopped talking and turned to stare at him. He headed toward the door with Mokuba.

"That's it?" Crimson cried incredulously, standing up. "We just went to the Shadow Realm, had to dance our way, beat giant bugs, lost our friends, escaped from a dangerous canyon with the danger of being squeezed to pulp, battled gigantic hands from who-knows-where, and even Dueled Raiya! And you aren't going to celebrate that we're still _alive_?" Kaiba looked at her with a smirk.

"I'm running a company, I've got work to do. I missed a lot of days having to run after Mokuba. With all this work, I don't think I'll even have time to see you again." Kaiba turned and headed to the door.

"_What?_" Crimson sputtered. Kaiba set his hand on the doorknob.

"Why is it so important to you anyway?" Crimson looked at him as if he had just asked her what color her hair was. Her mouth started running high speed.

"What do you mean? Haven't you had the dream? Are you just going to throw away everything that happened? What are you, a machine? This is exactly what happened in our ancient past; Seth just left Bianca like this. After all that we've been through to the end, I can't believe you are asking me such a question. I have to meet you; I'm your friend. I don't want to let you go and forget because I love you, Seto...uh...oh..." Crimson covered her mouth and nearly everyone gasped. Kaiba raised his eyebrows.

_Me and my big mouth..._


	22. Happily Forever After

Chapter 22 - Happily Forever After

Crimson stood rooted to her spot, both hands over her mouth and eyes widened. Her parents were the first to freak out.

"What did you say to him?" Her mother asked. She couldn't believe it. To her, Kaiba was the single richest kid in the world, and the smartest. Never beyond her wildest dreams did she ever imagine he would even _talk_ to her precious daughter. And now, her daughter loved him.

Crimson slowly lowered her eyes. It was at times like this that she wished she had a more controlled mouth. She was always the type that couldn't keep secrets in. And now, this was one that she wished she had kept.

Kaiba's face turned back to cool emotion. He opened the door and Mokuba went outside first, gazing back to look at the others. Kaiba let himself out as well, though he paused after setting one foot outside the door. He turned to look at Crimson one more time. Then, he left. Crimson brought up her eyes. Her heart was pounding like crazy. Both her parents looked at each other and then back at her with amazed expressions. The rest of the gang whispered amongst themselves.

"Crimson...Yasmine?" Yugi asked. Crimson looked at him.

"You all should go home... your families might be worried." She said those words in a soft tone, almost tiredly, before turning and running up to her room. She raced up the stairs and threw herself on top of the bed once she reached it. Using her Anklet, she closed the door and locked it.

_I trust you, Seto. Please, don't break my heart this time..._

* * *

The next morning, Crimson was up first. She quickly showered and came down to breakfast. Her parents both stopped whatever they were doing to look at her. She quickly walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"Um...good morning," her dad said hesitantly. Crimson muttered something, keeping her head down and twisted a strand of her hair between her fingers. Her parents looked at each other again. They took their cereal bowls and sat at the table.

"So...Crimson...what...what would you like for breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry." Crimson's parents looked at each other again and shrugged. Crimson sighed and left the table. She hurried up to her room again.

In her room, Crimson walked over to her dresser and started at herself in the mirror.

"I miss Seto already," she said to her reflection. Her reflection, she thought, seemed to represent her inner self. She could tell it anything and it would listen. "I want to go see him, but I can't waltz into his office. He said himself he was so busy he was going to be working every day straight for two months. I need a reason!" Crimson looked at her reflection. It was silent, holding a strand of her own black hair.

"Say something!" Crimson moaned. Her reflection stayed still. Crimson walked away in exasperation and so did her reflection. Crimson stopped. When her own reflection had moved, she saw the mirror image of her bed. And on it were the two cards she had taken out of her pants before throwing them in the laundry. Crimson whirled around.

"Enchanted Javelin..." Crimson walked to the card and picked it up. Underneath, she saw Kaiba's Blue-Eyes. She stared at it for a couple of seconds. She finally picked it up. A shimmer of power and fear ran through her body.

"Wait...I need to return this to Seto..." Crimson trailed off as it finally occurred to her. She smiled. "This is perfect..."

* * *

Crimson gulped. She had never realized how tall Kaiba Corporations really was until she had stood before it. Her parents had been really hesitant in letting her come here, but eventually Crimson persuaded them. Actually, she just showed them the Blue-Eyes and they gave immediate consent.

Now, Crimson stood in front of the building holding the Blue-Eyes in her hand. She had freshened up quite a bit. She was wearing a pair of khakis with a white halter embroidered with pink paisleys. To be less revealing, she wore a matching khaki sweater. Her black hair was tied up in a braided bun, complete with a pink ribbon. She even had on some make-up, though a minimal amount.

"Here it goes," she whispered. Taking a deep breath, she walked inside the glass-doored building. Almost immediately, she was caught with the fresh scent of technology. Random employees walked in front of the receptionists' deck with papers in their hands. The receptionist herself was a young woman with long blonde hair and a very formal blue dress suit. She looked up as Crimson walked forward.

"Welcome to Kaiba Corp. Are you here for a job interview? If so, you will have to come back later. Mr. Kaiba has been absent for a few days and has a lot of work to do."

"I know," Crimson said. "But this is important. I have something belonging to Seto that he would really appreciate if he had back as soon as possible. I am a friend of his... he won't mind seeing me...hopefully..." The receptionist looked at her skeptically.

"A friend? I haven't heard of Mr. Kaiba having many girlfriends... what is your name?"

"Yasmine Motou, but I go by Crimson." Suddenly, the receptionist broke into a grin.

"Oh, so _you_ are Crimson. I guess Mr. Kaiba does have good taste after all. Sorry, but his younger brother Mokuba has been...saying... I am not sure if it is true. I really don't believe it. Mr. Kaiba has never had a friend, other than the CEO of Industrial Illusions. But, Mokuba was by here today and he said his brother had found a girlfriend, someone named Crimson..." Crimson looked down with a sigh. She kept speaking as if she had never heard the receptionist.

"This is important. I have one of Seto's Blue-Eyes and I think he would like it back..." The receptionist nodded.

"Of course. Your _Seto_'s room is on the top floor before the Duel Stadium, at the far end." The receptionist accented his name in a way that made Crimson blush.

"Thank you very much," Crimson hurried to the elevator. She got inside and pressed the button with the largest number. The doors closed and the elevator shot up to one of the highest floors.

When Crimson finally arrived on the level she needed to, she exited the elevator. The hallway was deserted except for her. There were a total of five doors in total, and one was located at the far end. Crimson reasoned that that had to be the one and skipped to it. Before knocking, she straightened her jacket and her hair. Then, she knocked lightly.

"Who is it?" came a muffled voice from inside.

"It's me...Crimson..." She shivered at how soft her voice was.

_Why did I have to tell him I loved him? I don't even know if he likes me back... sure we've kissed a couple of times...but..._

"I didn't hear you. You might as well come in." Crimson closed her eyes and counted to ten. Then, she opened the door with a shaking hand.

"Hello... Seto?" Crimson walked a few steps into the room. A scent of leather furniture crept into her midst. The room was tidy; the only furnishings were a computer table in the middle surrounded by bookshelves. At the table sat Kaiba, typing furiously at his flat-screen computer. Mokuba was sitting to the side doing some math work.

Crimson walked in. The steady click of her black heels on the tile floor brought up Kaiba's gaze from his computer. He immediately stopped typing. Crimson looked down and fingered the Blue-Eyes card.

"Hello, Crimson," Kaiba greeted. He took his hands from the keyboard completely and smiled at her. Crimson looked at him, trying to control her thoughts.

"Hello, Seto... hi...um...I just wanted to give...you...something...something of yours..." She walked over to his desk and handed him the Blue-Eyes. "Thanks for letting me borrow it...it really did help...thanks..." Kaiba didn't take the card. Instead, he calmly looked at her hand.

"Say, Crimson. Is it cold in here?" Crimson scrunched her eyebrows.

"Cold...no, it isn't." Kaiba got up from his chair and walked around the table to her. Her heart almost stopped.

"Then why is your hand trembling like that?"

"My hand... oh...my hand...oh...it's not trembling... my hand likes to... to randomly shake...yeah..."

"It's because of yesterday isn't it?"

"Not at all...no... my hand just...is bored..." Crimson knew she was stuck. She looked back down at her hands. However, Kaiba took his forefinger and thumb and lifted her chin up so they could look eye-to-eye.

"Crimson. It's because of yesterday..."

"You have to be kidding. It's-,"

"Crimson..."

"...not..."

"Crimson..."

"...because..."

"Crimson..."

"...of yester-," Before Crimson could quite finish her sentence, Kaiba leaned over and kissed her for a full minute. When they pulled away, Crimson looked over at Mokuba. He stared back at the couple.

"Well..." he began rather loudly. "This problem doesn't make sense!_ I wonder why_! Maybe I should ask someone..._downstairs_..." Mokuba quickly exited the room. Crimson giggled. Kaiba stroked her hair.

"So... now why were your hands shaking again?" Crimson smiled sweetly at him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I don't know... I don't even remember what I was talking about...maybe another kiss will help me remember..." Kaiba smiled and stroked her cheek.

"I remember. You were embarrassed about yesterday, right?"

"Maybe..."

"I can't believe you didn't think I loved you back..." Kaiba rained kisses down Crimson's cheek and she shivered.

"Well, you didn't say it-," Crimson was cut off abruptly as Kaiba's lips caught hers. He pulled back.

"Well, I'm saying it now...I love you, Crimson..."

"I love you Seto...and I hoped it would end like this..."

"Like what?"

"Like...happily forever after..."

* * *

The end. 


End file.
